The Biden Justice Department is suing the state of Georgia over new voting restrictions, which the Attorney General, Merrick Garland says violates the Voting Rights Act’s protections for minority voters.
“Today, the Department of Justice is suing the state of Georgia,” Garland said. “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 2 of the Voting Rights Act.”
Garland said the DOJ lawsuit is “the first of many steps we are taking to ensure that all eligible voters can cast a vote.”
The suit comes three months after Georgia Republican governor Brian Kemp signed the controversial bill passed along party lines in the state legislature, into law.
Democrats have pushed back against the law arguing that some provisions in the bill such as requiring a photo ID for absentee ballots and limiting the number of ballot drop box locations would make it more difficult for people of color to vote.
Republicans meanwhile have defended the law, arguing that it is meant to restore confidence in the state’s electoral system, which was repeatedly questioned by Trump and his allies leading up to and after the 2020 presidential election through false claims of widespread voter fraud.
