Now that we once again have a U.S. Attorney General who believes in protecting the Constitution and the rights of all Americans, the Department of Justice is once again working to make sure that all of us have an equal voice in deciding who represents us and makes the laws that govern our nation.
According to multiple reports, the DOJ under AG Merrick Garland is giving serious considering to suing the state of Georgia for the package of voter suppression restrictions that were signed into law Thursday evening by Governor Brian Kemp (R).
CNN White House correspondent Arlette Saenz reports that President Joe Biden was asked about whether or not the DOJ would indeed challenge voting restrictions in the Peach State:
That’s not all the president had to say on the matter, according to the New York Daily News:
President Biden took blistering aim Friday at Georgia Republicans and suggested they could face Justice Department scrutiny for enacting an ‘outrageous’ law that places ‘Jim Crow’-like restrictions on voting in the critical swing state.
“Biden also told reporters later in the day that Justice Department intervention could be warranted.
“’We don’t know quite exactly what we can do at this point. The Justice Department’s taking a look as well,’ he said.”
A lawsuit has already been filed in Georgia by several civil rights groups. The Justice Department could either join that action or file its own lawsuit to block implementation of the voting restrictions and eventually have them ruled unconstitutional and therefore illegal.
The Biden administration also continues to push for passage of the For the People Act in the U.S. Senate. While Republicans are expected to try and delay a vote on the bill by using the filibuster, it increasingly looks like Senate Democrats will overhaul the filibuster rules so that the voting rights bill can reach the Senate floor for a vote. With the Senate currently divided 50-50 among the two parties, a tie vote would allow Vice President Kamala Harris to cast the deciding vote that would make the For the People Act the law of the land.
The DOJ needs to fight the Georgia voting restrictions and get them overturned. If Republicans cannot win elections without cheating, then they should disband their party and admit they’re bereft of any real ideology other than repression.
