Merrick Garland says DOJ 'will not hesitate to act' on potential civil rights violations of new voting laws

Multiple states have passed new voting rights laws since the 2020 election. Merrick Garland said the DOJ would look into possible civil rights violations.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a speech on Friday that the Department of Justice will be "scrutinizing new laws that seek to curb voter access." "Where we see violations of federal law, we will not hesitate to act," said Garland, calling voting the "central pillar of democracy." The attorney general announced that the DOJ is looking at current laws as well "in order to determine whether they discriminate against Black voters and other voters of color." "Particularly concerning in this regard are several studies showing that, in some jurisdictions, non-white voters must wait in line substantially longer than white voters to cast their ballots," he said.