Justice Department sues Georgia over GOP state lawmakers' new voting law

The Justice Department announced Friday is it has filed a lawsuit against Georgia over the state's new voting law, arguing it violates the federal Voting Rights Act.

"Our complaint alleges that recent changes to Georgia’s election laws were enacted with the purpose of denying or abridging the right of black Georgians to vote on account of their race or color" Attorney General Merrick Garland said.

The move is the first federal response to the laws enacted by Republican-controlled state legislatures, in an effort to further secure the state's voting system against voter fraud.

"We are scrutinizing new laws that seek to curb voter access, and where we see violations, we will not hesitate to act," Garland also said. "We are also scrutinizing current laws and practices in order to determine whether they discriminate against black voters and other voters of color."

Georgia's voting bill was signed into law in March by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. The law imposes voter identification requirements for absentee ballots, limits the use of ballot drop boxes, and makes it a crime to approach voters while they stand in line to vote.