Georgia Fort Seeks Dismissal of Protest Charges Over 15 False Warrant Claims

3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 6

Court filings on Thursday asked a federal judge to throw out charges against journalist Georgia Fort, arguing investigators and prosecutors built the anti-ICE protest case on false statements and other misconduct.
At least 15 search-warrant applications wrongly said Fort chanted with protesters inside a St. Paul church, her lawyers said; the Justice Department later conceded that claim was false but argued it was not material.
The motions also say officials misstated her role in a parking-lot meeting and a van-blocking episode, sought her work product without disclosing journalist protections, and tried to obtain subscriber data through customs-style administrative demands after a judge rebuffed them.
A magistrate judge has already ordered disclosure of grand-jury proceedings tied to Fort and another journalist, after defense lawyers questioned whether prosecutors also misled jurors before securing the indictment.
Fort was among nearly 40 people charged after the January church protest, in a broader Justice Department push to pursue sweeping conspiracy cases against immigration-enforcement demonstrators.