In a Friday decision, a judge in Georgia unsealed about 145,000 absentee ballots from the November election for review.

According to Henry County Superior Court Judge Brian Amero, the ballots must stay with Fulton County election authorities after the investigation, and the findings of the investigation cannot influence the outcome of the November primary. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the plaintiffs in the case agreed the conditions, stating that the investigation is still necessary after questionable actions by Fulton County election officials last year.

According to the Journal-Constitution, “Friday’s ruling came in a complaint brought by nine claimants, including Garland Favorito, a Fulton county resident and self-styled election watchdog.” “It is one of more than 30 Georgia cases arising from the November presidential election and the January U.S. Senate runoff. Any of the cases are also making their way into the legal system.”

Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who lost a runoff election in January and now heads the voter registration party Greater Georgia Action, applauded the judge’s decision in a statement:

Voter confidence in our electoral structure is the foundation of our country. Unfortunately, irregularities in Fulton County’s absentee ballots for November 2020 cast serious doubt on voters’ confidence in our elections. An independent report even labelled Fulton County’s treatment of absentee ballots as “generally poor administration.” Though there is an urgent need to investigate a host of other well-documented problems, we must also examine Fulton County’s absentee ballots in order to ensure Georgians that their voices are heard and their votes are counted. Future electoral legitimacy is vital, and Judge Amero’s decision is a positive move toward preserving fairness, openness, and voter confidence. We eagerly await the results and their position in fostering fairness and restoring confidence in our elections.

Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts blasted Amero’s decision, noting that Fulton County results have been approved several times by recounts since the November election.

“It is outrageous that Fulton County remains a priority of those who refuse to recognise the outcome of last year’s election,” Pitts told the Journal-Constitution. “The ballots were counted several times, including a hand recount, and no sign of bribery was discovered.”

“The reality remains that Fulton County conducted an election in the middle of a public health crisis in a safe and stable manner,” he said.

Following the November election, Fulton County attracted media attention amid reports that county election officers had taken out thousands of concealed ballots to count after sending GOP election observers home. State investigations also stated that the dispute arose as a result of a disagreement between election officials and GOP observers.

Fulton County’s election efforts were marred by a slew of other problems, such as counting irregularities and other crashes, earning the county a reprimand from Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

Fulton County’s elections board voted in February to dismiss election director Rick Barron due to a string of scandals. The county Board of Commissioners overturned the board’s ruling, allowing Barron to retain his job.