Biden attacks Georgia law, state is sued

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

A coalition of civil rights groups filed a federal lawsuit against Georgia's new voting restrictions.

They say the Republican-backed law - signed by Governor Brian Kemp, Thursday - is intended to make it harder for people to vote…. especially Black voters.

The law imposes limits like stricter ID requirements for voters. It shortens the early voting period for runoff elections AND makes it a misdemeanor crime for people to offer food and water to voters waiting in line.

President Joe Biden on Friday accused Republicans in Georgia of attacking voting rights:

“It’s an atrocity. The idea - if you want any indication that it has nothing to do with fairness, nothing to do with decency. They passed a law saying you can’t provide water for people standing in line while they're waiting to vote. You don't need anything else to know that this is punitive design to keep people from voting.”

Biden also said the Justice Department was taking a look at Georgia's new law.

The legislation comes just months after Democrats celebrated historic wins in Georgia… helping the party win the White House and gain razor thin control of the U.S. Senate.

It’s one of more than 250 bills Republicans have filed nationwide proposing new voting limits since former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.

Republicans say new voting restrictions are necessary (TRUMP: "There's no way we lost Georgia") after Trump spent months falsely blaming his loss on voter fraud.

KEMP: "Significant reforms to our state elections were needed..."

Moments after signing Georgia’s bill, Governor Kemp reiterated that stance:

“With Senate Bill 202 Georgia takes another step to ensuring our elections are secure, accessible and fair.”

But democrats cried foul.

Park Cannon, a State Representative from Georgia, was arrested Thursday, for knocking on the door of Kemp's office as he signed the bill.

Once released, she tweeted: “I am not the first Georgian to be arrested for fighting voter suppression. I’d love to say I’m the last, but we know that isn’t true."