Merrick Garland, U.S. attorney general nominee for U.S. President Joe Biden, listens during a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. Garland signaled he'll make decisions independently from Biden and is pledging he'll take the lead in prosecuting participants in the mob that attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6. Photographer: Drew Angerer/Getty Images/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Friday that his Department of Justice (DOJ) will take series of actions to protect voting rights against the voter restrictions that over a dozen state governments have been trying to pass in recent weeks.
“We are scrutinizing new laws that seek to curb voter access, and where we see violations of federal law, we will not hesitate to act,” Garland said during the speech at the DOJ Friday. “We are also scrutinizing current laws and practices, in order to determine whether they discriminate against black voters and other voters of color.”
Republican state legislators have been passing new bills that could restrict voting rights after former President Donald Trump’s lost the reelection.
To combat the voter restriction, Garland said that the DOJ will double its enforcement unit for voting rights. He referred to voting rights are a “central pillar” of American values.
Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!
A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.
“We know that expanding the ability of all eligible citizens to vote is a central pillar,” Garland said. “That means ensuring that all eligible voters can cast a vote; that all lawful votes are counted; and that every voter has access to accurate information.”
The House had already passed a voting rights bill in March, but that bill is unlikely to get the 60 votes needed to move forward in the Senate.
In a new study, nearly 50% of Tesla owners report their vehicles have been vandalized,…
President Donald Trump has ordered an investigation into whether allies of former President Joe Biden…
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has responded to the Los Angeles protests…
President Donald Trump mobilized more than 700 Marines to join thousands of National Guardsman on…
ABC News Correspondent Terry Moran has been suspended following a now-deleted post on X. In…
President Donald Trump announced that, starting June 9, citizens of 12 countries would be banned…