Atlanta, Georgia - A federal judge recently ruled that the Department of Justice can keep election ballots they seized in Georgia as part of investigations into President Donald Trump's stolen election claims.

In a motion filed on Wednesday, District Judge J.P. Boulee argued that while the DOJ's basis for the search warrants and execution of the raid were flawed, Fulton County – which sued the DOJ after the ballots were seized – fell short of proving there was "callous disregard" for the county's rights.

Back in January, the FBI raided a warehouse used by the Fulton County elections office, seizing over 600 boxes of material.

At the time, the warrant remained under seal, though it was heavily speculated that the raid was related to Trump's false claims that Democrats "stole" the 2020 election from him.

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A week before the raid, the president – who previously faced prosecution for allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election – said that "people will soon be prosecuted for what they did."

Adding to the controversy over the move, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard – whose role is focused on foreign threats – was present at the search.

In a statement to Politico, Robb Pitts, the chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Fulton County, said he "strongly disagrees" with the judge's ruling but vowed to continue fighting and "vigorously pursue all available legal options."