The Justice Department is withdrawing from its legal battle over Georgia's contentious election law. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the dismissal of the lawsuit, claiming that allegations of voter suppression were unfounded. The decision elicited reactions from both supporters and opponents of the law, as per reports.

Why was the lawsuit dismissed?

The suit, launched in 2021, accused voter suppression. Bondi labelled the accusations as "false," while the officials in Georgia were jubilant over the ruling as a triumph for election security, as quoted in a report by the AP.

On Monday, Pam Bondi directed the Justice Department to drop a lawsuit that contested a comprehensive election reform passed by Georgia Republicans following the state's loss to President Donald Trump in 2020.

Former President Joe Biden filed the lawsuit in June 2021, alleging that the Georgia law was designed to deny Black voters equal access to the voting booth. The Biden administration, according to Bondi, was promoting "false claims of suppression."

"Instead of false accusations of voter suppression intended to sow discord, Georgians deserve safe elections," she stated.

After Donald Trump lost his reelection bid to Biden, he claimed without proof that voter fraud cost him the election.

This law was part of a wave of Republican-backed measures that tightened voting laws. Following Republican Governor Brian Kemp's signing of the law in March 2021, the CEOs of Coca-Cola and Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines expressed their disapproval, and Major League Baseball's commissioner decided to move that year's All-Star Game from Atlanta's Truist Park. The fallout was immediate, as per a report by the AP.

What are critics saying?

The Justice Department lawsuit was sharply criticized when it was filed by Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, both Republicans who angered Donald Trump by refusing to assist in overturning his 2020 election loss in Georgia.

Raffensperger referred to Bondi's declaration as "a significant win for Georgia voters" on Monday.

In a statement, Raffensperger said, "Even though we lost an All-Star game and the left boycotted Georgia because of commonsense election law, our commitment has always been to ensure fair and secure elections for every Georgian."

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What is Georgia’s election law SB 202?

The law, known as SB 202, reduced the amount of time that could be spent requesting a mailed ballot, required voter identification for mail ballots, and reduced the number of ballot drop boxes that were available in heavily populated, Democratic, and Black counties in metro Atlanta.

The law also prohibited different groups and organizations from providing food and water to voters who were waiting in line to cast their ballots.

Pam Bondi claimed that after the law was passed, Black voter turnout in Georgia actually rose.

However, a December analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice revealed that although Black voters cast more ballots between 2020 and 2024, their turnout actually decreased by 0.6% as a result of the ballots' inability to keep up with population growth.

According to the analysis, it will be crucial to determine whether or to what degree these declines are caused by restrictive voting laws like Georgia's S.B. 202, legitimate concerns that the government is not working for them, or a host of other factors.

FAQs

What changes did Georgia's election law bring about?
SB 202 increased voter ID requirements for mail ballots, reduced ballot drop boxes, and prohibited the distribution of food and water to voters waiting in line.

Why was the Justice Department's lawsuit dismissed?
Attorney General Pam Bondi argued that the claims of voter suppression were unfounded, and that Black voter turnout increased after the law was passed.