Justice Department dismisses lawsuit against Georgia election law

Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed the Department of Justice to dismiss a lawsuit filed against the state of Georgia over a state elections law that the Biden administration had alleged suppressed Black voters.

The lawsuit emerged from a political uproar over Georgia Senate Bill 202, which lawmakers passed in a party-line vote in 2021. It changed absentee voting, early voting, ballot drop boxes and vote counting, and opponents derided it as “Jim Crow 2.0.”

“Contrary to the Biden Administration’s false claims of suppression, Black voter turnout actually increased under SB 202,” Ms. Bondi said Monday in a statement. “Georgians deserve secure elections, not fabricated claims of false voter suppression meant to divide us.”

Critics of the law argued that it was an attempt to suppress Black voters, who played a significant role in President Biden carrying the state over then-former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election. They also focused on new rules limiting where food and water can be handed out to voters waiting in line.

Georgia voters set a new turnout record in the 2024 election.

“This lawsuit is the first step of many we are taking to ensure that all eligible voters can cast a vote; that all lawful votes are counted; and that every voter has access to accurate information,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said when the DOJ filed the lawsuit in 2021.

On Monday, the Bondi-led Justice Department said the Biden administration spread bogus stories about the law by claiming that it was an “intentional scheme to depress the Black vote.”

“In reality, SB 202’s commonsense reforms — photo ID for all voting, strengthened absentee ballot procedures, and rapid reporting of results — spurred record voter turnout, including among Black Georgians,” the Justice Department said.

Michael Whatley, chairman of the Republican National Committee, applauded the announcement.