Justice Department to sue Georgia over voting rights law

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Friday that the Justice Department is filing suit against the state of Georgia over its recently-passed voting law.

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on Friday that the Justice Department is filing suit against the state of Georgia over its sweeping election law recently passed by Republicans, alleging it violates the federal Voting Rights Act by seeking to disenfranchise Black voters. "Our complaint alleges that recent changes to Georgia's election laws were enacted with the purpose of denying or abridging the right of Black Georgians to vote on account of their race or color, in violation of Section Two of the Voting Rights Act," Garland said. Garland said the bill signed into law earlier this year by Gov. Brian Kemp includes provisions that "make it harder for people to vote," and the complaint being filed by the department alleges the restrictions were passed "with the purpose of denying or abridging the right to vote on account of race or color." For months, President Joe Biden and other Democrats have been heavily critical of Georgia Republicans and Kemp for signing Georgia's voting bill into law, equating it to "Jim Crow-era" segregation laws while arguing it's premised on the lie that widespread fraud tainted the 2020 election.