In Suing Georgia, Justice Department Says State’s New Voting Law Targets Black Voters

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the Justice Department is suing the state of Georgia over its new voting law that the department alleges is intended to restrict ballot access to 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 at a news conference Friday morning.

The lawsuit marks the first major action from the Biden administration to combat what it and voting rights activists say are a series of new laws passed by Republican-led state legislatures that make it harder to vote.

Garland noted that Georgia experienced record voter turnout and participation in the 2020 election cycle.

In March, Georgia’s legislature passed Senate Bill 202, a 96-page bill that makes sweeping changes to the state’s absentee voting rules, adds new voter identification mandates, and criminalizes passing out food or drinks to voters waiting in line.

Garland says the lawsuit is the first of “many steps” the department is taking to protect the right to vote for all eligible voters. He said the Civil Rights Division will continue to examine voting laws that other states have passed.

“We will not hesitate to act,” Garland said.

Earlier this month, the Justice Department announced it would vigorously defend voting rights. Garland said that the department will double the number of voter enfranchisement lawyers and focus attention of litigation related to voting rights.

Senate Judiciary chairman Rep. Dick Durbin tweeted his approval of the lawsuit shortly after the announcement on Friday.

“If Republicans think the fight for voting rights ended with their filibuster of the For The People Act, they are sorely mistaken,” he wrote. “Glad to see the Biden Administration is joining this effort. We must protect our democracy.”

Garland’s announcement is the first push from the Biden administration since Republicans blocked Democrats’ attempts to pass sweeping voting-rights legislation.