Federal appeals court may revive lawsuit against conservative group for voter intimidation
A federal appeals court is considering reviving a lawsuit against the conservative group True the Vote, accused of voter intimidation under the Voting Rights Act. The lawsuit, brought by Fair Fight, claims that True the Vote's challenge to the eligibility of over 360,000 Georgia voters prior to a 2021 runoff election violated the Act. The lower court had previously found no violation, but the appeals court judges, Adalberto Jordan and Federico Moreno, questioned this decision, highlighting potential legal errors. Judge Steve Jones previously ruled that there was no intimidation but criticized the reliability of the voter challenge list. The appeals court's decision could have implications for handling future mass voter challenges in elections.
Context:
A federal appeals court is considering reviving a lawsuit against the conservative group True the Vote, accused of voter intimidation under the Voting Rights Act. The lawsuit, brought by Fair Fight, claims that True the Vote's challenge to the eligibility of over 360,000 Georgia voters prior to a 2021 runoff election violated the Act. The lower court had previously found no violation, but the appeals court judges, Adalberto Jordan and Federico Moreno, questioned this decision, highlighting potential legal errors. Judge Steve Jones previously ruled that there was no intimidation but criticized the reliability of the voter challenge list. The appeals court's decision could have implications for handling future mass voter challenges in elections.
Dive Deeper:
The federal appeals court is reviewing a case against True the Vote, a conservative group accused of violating the Voting Rights Act by challenging the eligibility of over 360,000 Georgia voters.
The lawsuit was filed by Fair Fight, an organization founded by Stacey Abrams, arguing that True the Vote's actions constituted voter intimidation before a crucial 2021 Senate runoff election.
Judges Adalberto Jordan and Federico Moreno identified potential legal errors in the district court's ruling that found no violation of the Voting Rights Act.
U.S. District Judge Steve Jones previously ruled that there was no evidence of voter intimidation by True the Vote, despite acknowledging the unreliability of the challenged voter list.
Judge Jordan emphasized that an attempt to intimidate voters does not need to be successful to constitute a violation, suggesting that the court's analysis was incomplete.
True the Vote's attorney, Jake Evans, argued that there was no intent to intimidate voters, noting the group's founder had no direct contact with those who testified.
The outcome of the appeal could influence how similar voter eligibility challenges are addressed in future elections, as Judge Moreno implied the necessity for the 11th Circuit's guidance on such matters.