Legal/Law/Criminal Justice and Reform

‘Done With This Disgrace’: Bondi Axes Biden-Era Lawsuit Accusing Georgia Of Racism

[Screenshot/Fox News/"Hannity"]

Attorney General Pam Bondi directed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to withdraw its claims from a Biden-era lawsuit that accused Georgia of intentionally suppressing black voters at the ballot box on Monday.

The In Re Georgia Senate Bill 202 lawsuit “falsely accused Georgia of intentionally suppressing Black voters’ votes,” according to a Monday DOJ press 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 done with this disgrace,” said Chad Mizelle, acting associate attorney general and DOJ chief of staff, in the press release. “There is nothing racist about protecting elections — baseless claims of Jim Crow-style discrimination are the real insult.”

Filed by the Biden administration in 2021, the lawsuit alleged that the proposed Georgia bill voting procedures would create impositions for black voters and work to suppress their vote.

“The right of all eligible citizens to vote is the central pillar of our democracy, the right from which all other rights ultimately flow,” said former Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in a press release at the time. “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.”

The DOJ under the Trump administration wrote in the press release that accusing Georgia of attempting to “depress the Black vote” was part of “an untrue narrative.” The statement rails against the former administration for referring to “the basic election legislation” as “Jim Crow 2.0.”

“Contrary to the Biden Administration’s false claims of suppression, Black voter turnout actually increased under SB 202,” Bondi said in the press release. “Georgians deserve secure elections, not fabricated claims of false voter suppression meant to divide us. Americans can be confident that this Department of Justice will protect their vote and never play politics with election integrity.”

The DOJ did not respond with a comment and instead pointed the DCNF to the Monday press release.