Attorney General Pam Bondi has instructed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to retract its allegations from a lawsuit initiated during the Biden administration, which accused Georgia of deliberately suppressing Black voters.
According to a DOJ press release issued on Monday, the lawsuit, known as In Re Georgia Senate Bill 202, had wrongly asserted that Georgia was intentionally restricting Black voter participation. The In Re Georgia Senate Bill 202 lawsuit “falsely accused Georgia of intentionally suppressing Black voters’ votes,” according to the release. The Georgia senate bill proposed reforms to strengthen election integrity, including requiring voters to show photo ID, rapid reporting of results, and adjustments to absentee ballot structures.
“The Department of Justice is finished with this disgrace,” stated Chad Mizelle, acting associate attorney general and DOJ chief of staff, in the press release. “Ensuring election integrity is not discriminatory—unfounded accusations of Jim Crow-style practices are the real affront.”
The lawsuit, originally filed by the Biden administration in 2021, claimed that the proposed voting regulations would disproportionately impact Black voters and suppress their ability to participate in elections.
“The right to vote for all eligible citizens is the cornerstone of our democracy, underpinning all other rights,” said former Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in a press release at the time. “This lawsuit is just one of many steps we are taking to safeguard voting rights, ensuring that every lawful vote is counted and that voters have access to accurate election information.”
Under the Trump administration, the DOJ had dismissed the notion that Georgia sought to “depress the Black vote,” describing such allegations as part of a “false narrative.” The DOJ statement criticized the previous administration for labeling standard election legislation as “Jim Crow 2.0.”
“Contrary to the Biden Administration’s baseless claims of voter suppression, Black voter turnout actually increased under SB 202,” Bondi asserted in the press release. “Georgians deserve secure elections, not misleading allegations designed to create division. The American people can trust that this Department of Justice will uphold election integrity without political interference.”
Keep going, clean up the mess the Dems created