White House pressed on Biden comparing Georgia voting law to ‘Jim Crow’ despite record turnout
President Biden has likened Georgia's 2021 voter law to "Jim Crow in the 21st Century" and "Jim Crow 2.0."
As President Donald Trump’s administration continues to form and top officials are confirmed, questions remain about the future of a highly publicized and pending Biden administration lawsuit against Georgia’s election laws that then-President Joe Biden famously referred to as "Jim Crow 2.0."
The Biden administration sued Georgia in 2021 over its election integrity laws, arguing that it contains "racially discriminatory provisions" that were "adopted with the purpose of denying or abridging the right to vote on account of race" and "particularly" harmed Black voters.
"The right of all eligible citizens to vote is the central pillar of our democracy, the right from which all other rights ultimately flow," then-Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a press release at the time.
"This lawsuit is the first step of many we are taking to ensure that all eligible voters can cast a vote; that all lawful votes are counted; and that every voter has access to accurate information."
The Biden administration sued Georgia in 2021 over its election integrity laws, arguing that it contains "racially discriminatory provisions" (Getty)
In October 2021, Biden described the law as "Jim Crow in the 21st Century" and later repeated that claim by calling the law "Jim Crow 2.0."
Since that lawsuit, which court filings show is currently on appeal in the 11th Circuit, Georgia has experienced record voter registration and turnout in several elections.
"The Trump administration should immediately dismiss this lawsuit," the Heritage Foundation’s Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies Hans von Spakovsky told Fox News Digital.
"It had no merit and there was no evidence justifying its filing. Events since then, including record registration and turnout in the 2022 and 2024 elections, with all of the reforms in place that DOJ was attacking, prove what a sham this lawsuit is. DOJ filed it for political reasons because Joe Biden was calling the commonsense Georgia reforms ‘Jim Crow 2.0,’ an outrageous claim that was clearly wrong and simply made to try to scare voters."
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Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky/File)
Last week, Georgia’s secretary of state called for the lawsuit to be dropped.
"The Biden Administration and Stacey Abrams created a false narrative regarding Georgia’s elections," Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a press release.
"The DOJ should never be leveraged for political purposes, and I hope Attorney General Bondi will join us in ending this frivolous lawsuit against the state of Georgia, and release documents exposing the coordination between the Biden DOJ and the liberal left."
Raffensperger's press release came days before Trump's Justice Department dropped another high-profile Biden-era investigation into New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
The Justice Department declined to comment when contacted by Fox News Digital.
Democrat criticism of the law from Biden, former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and others resulted in a negative economic effect on Georgia residents after Major League Baseball announced it was moving its the All-Star Game from Atlanta in response to the law.
That move cost the majority-Black city an estimated $70 million or more in revenue, Fox Business previously reported. Major League Baseball later decided to hold the game in Atlanta in 2025 where the election law remains the same as when the game was pulled.
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Joe Biden (Susan Walsh/AP)
"Opponents of SB 202 previously called for economic boycotts against Georgia, most notably the relocation of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game following advocacy efforts led by Stacey Abrams," Raffensperger’s press release stated. "Despite these efforts, Georgia’s voting laws remain unchanged, and the 2025 MLB All-Star Game is set to return to Atlanta."
"Recent data underscores the effectiveness of Georgia’s election reforms. A 2022 University of Georgia poll found that 99% of voters reported no issues casting their ballots, and a follow-up poll in 2024 reflected a similarly high satisfaction rate, with 98% of voters experiencing no problems at the polls."
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