Stacey Abrams-backed election lawsuit heads to trial
CBSN
ATLANTA — When she ended her first bid to become Georgia governor in 2018, Stacey Abrams announced plans to sue over the way the state's elections were managed. More than three years later, as she makes another run at the governor's mansion, the lawsuit is going to trial.
Filed in November 2018 by Abrams' Fair Fight Action organization, the suit alleged that state officials "grossly mismanaged" the election, depriving some citizens, particularly low-income people and people of color, of their right to vote. The lawsuit originally called for a sweeping overhaul of the state's elections, but its scope was considerably narrowed after the state made changes that addressed some allegations and others were dismissed by the court. The trial begins Monday.
Even if U.S. District Judge Steve Jones sides with the plaintiffs, it's unclear whether that will affect elections this year. Jones and other federal judges have been reluctant to order last-minute changes, noting that the Supreme Court has repeatedly said federal judges shouldn't alter rules "on the eve of an election."
