The state of Georgia is being sued by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) over its controversial voting law.
The DOJ is alleging the state is “denying or abridging” the right of Black Georgians to vote.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Kristen Clarke, the head of the department’s Civil Rights Division, made the announcement on Friday.
Garland said, “Today, the Department of Justice is suing the state of Georgia. 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.”
AG Merrick Garland: "Today, the Department of Justice is suing the state of Georgia. 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." pic.twitter.com/SYWNmhHSit
— The Hill (@thehill) June 25, 2021
The Georgia voting law was signed in March by the state’s Gov. Brian Kemp (R).
President Joe Biden previously called the law “Jim Crow in the 21st Century.” He also called it “a blatant attack on the right to vote, the Constitution, and good conscience.”
Kemp pushed back at the time against Biden’s remarks, telling The Hill, “There is nothing ‘Jim Crow’ about requiring a photo or state-issued ID to vote by absentee ballot — every Georgia voter must already do so when voting in-person,” adding, “President Biden, the left, and the national media are determined to destroy the sanctity and security of the ballot box.”
The New York Times notes that, under the law, “voters will now have less time to request absentee ballots,” “there are strict new ID requirements for absentee ballots,” “it’s now illegal for election officials to mail out absentee ballot applications to all voters,” “drop boxes still exist … but barely,” “early voting is expanded in a lot of small counties, but probably not in more populous one,” among other changes.