In Atlanta on Monday, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi instructed the Department of Justice to withdraw a lawsuit that contested Georgia’s comprehensive electoral reform enacted by Republican legislators after President Donald Trump’s 2020 election defeat in the state.
Initiated under President Joe Biden’s administration in June 2021, the lawsuit claimed the Georgia statute was purposely designed to prevent Black voters from having equal access to voting. Bondi accused the Biden administration of advancing “false claims of suppression.”
“Georgians deserve secure elections and not manufactured allegations of voter suppression,” Bondi emphasized.
The Georgia law was among a series of Republican-endorsed initiatives that strengthened voting regulations following Trump’s unsuccessful reelection attempt against Biden. Trump alleged, without substantiation, that electoral fraud was the reason for his loss. The legislation drew rapid backlash after Republican Governor Brian Kemp ratified it in March 2021. Critics included prominent Atlanta-based companies such as Delta Air Lines and Coca-Cola, and Major League Baseball’s commissioner decided to relocate the annual All-Star Game from Atlanta’s Truist Park.
Governor Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, notable Republicans who faced Trump’s criticism for not aiding in reversing his 2020 electoral loss in Georgia, vehemently opposed the Justice Department’s lawsuit when it was initiated. Raffensperger described Bondi’s decision as “a significant win for Georgia voters.”
“Our aim has been to ensure fair and secure elections for every Georgian, despite losing an All-Star game and the left’s boycott of Georgia due to common-sense election laws,” Raffensperger stated.
The reform, known as SB 202, imposed a voter identification requirement for mail ballots, reduced the window for requesting a mailed ballot, and decreased the availability of ballot drop boxes in densely populated Atlanta counties—areas with Democratic inclinations and significant Black populations. Furthermore, the law prohibited groups from providing food and water to voters waiting in lines.
Addressing the lawsuit’s dismissal, Bondi pointed out that Black voter participation in Georgia “actually increased” following the enactment of the law. However, a December review by the Brennan Center for Justice indicated that while the number of ballots cast by Black voters rose between 2020 and 2024, there was a slight 0.6% decline in Black voter turnout, attributable to population growth exceeding the rise in ballots cast.
“Understanding if, or the extent to which, these trends are due to restrictive voting laws like Georgia’s SB 202, potential disenchantment with government effectiveness, or a variety of other factors remains critically important,” the analysis noted.
Besides the lawsuit from the Justice Department, several other lawsuits were filed by civil rights and electoral integrity organizations. These suits raised issues in light of the U.S. Constitution and the federal Voting Rights Act, which prohibits voting discrimination.