Decide hits again rejection of New Georgia election restrictions

Top line

A federal judge on Tuesday denied a motion to prevent new voting restrictions from being enforced in Georgia and dealt a severe blow to proxy attorneys in the first Georgia law ruling.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, then a Republican gubernatorial candidate, gives a big ole thumbs up on one … [+] Election night event at the Classic Center on November 6, 2018 in Athens, Georgia.

Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images

Important facts

Trump-appointed District Court judge JP Boulee ruled that months after the bill was signed, the case would have been a change in the law “in the ninth inning”.

The lawsuit by the Georgian constituency Coalition for Good Governance challenged several of the new postal voting guidelines.

Above all, it was asserted in the lawsuit that a new rule, according to which postal ballot papers must be requested at least 11 days before an election, was “impractical”.

Runoff elections in the local state house races are also scheduled for July 13, and Boulee said the injunction would disrupt the ongoing electoral process.

Crucial quote

“We have come to a point where all the challenged provisions are already law,” said Boulee. “Therefore, an injunction would not only maintain the status quo; Rather, it would change the law in the ninth inning. “

Key background

Numerous states with Republican-led lawmakers introduced new voting restrictions this year after former President Donald Trump repeatedly incorrectly claimed that widespread electoral fraud prevented him from winning the 2020 presidential election. But few of the laws have proven as controversial as that of Georgia, which came in a state where President Joe Biden only received about 12,000 votes. Critics have claimed that the new law amounts to suppressing voters, especially against black communities, through measures such as banning non-electoral staff from distributing water to queuing employees. Activist pressure has also sparked corporate backlash against the state. Major League Baseball moved its all-star game out of Atlanta this year, while hundreds of companies – including Georgia giants like Coca-Cola and Delta – have denounced the law.

Big number

8th. This is how many lawsuits have been filed to challenge Georgia law, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

further reading

Lawsuit Seeks to Stop Local Election Enrollment in Georgia Electoral Law (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Will Smith Film ‘Emancipation’ Leaves Georgia Due to Election Restrictions – See Full Boycott List (Forbes)

Stacey Abrams-Founded Group Sues Georgia for “Election Suppression Act” (Forbes)

Major electoral restrictions put in place in Georgia (Forbes)

Judge Denies Motion To Force MLB All-Star Game Back To Atlanta (Forbes)