The Justice Department is suing Georgia over the state’s new election law and alleging that Republican state lawmakers rushed through a sweeping overhaul with an intent to deny Black voters equal access to the ballot. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the lawsuit on Friday, two weeks after he said his department would scrutinize a wave of new laws in Republican-controlled states that tighten voting rules.
Republican lawmakers in the state pushed back immediately, pledging a forceful defense of Georgia’s law. The federal government's move also comes as pressure grows on the Biden administration to respond to a wave of GOP-backed laws being pushed in the states this year.