Many sources have argued that Georgia’s new election law blatantly aims to suppress the vote in the state. An article in CNN by Joan Biskupic explores the possibility that through past decisions, the Supreme Court might have paved the way for Georgia to make such a daring and bold move to keep hundreds of thousands from accessing the vote. Here is an excerpt:

Georgia’s voter restrictions were dashed into law Thursday by Republicans shaken over recent election losses and lies about fraud from former President Donald Trump, yet the measures also developed against a backdrop of US Supreme Court decisions hollowing out federal voting rights protection.

In another world, before the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision written by Chief Justice John Roberts, Georgia would have had to obtain federal approval for new election practices to ensure they did not harm Blacks and other minority voters.

And at another time, before the Roberts Court enhanced state latitude in a series of rulings, legislators might have hedged before enacting policies from new voter identification requirements, to a prohibition on third-party collection of ballots to a rule against non-poll workers providing food or water to voters waiting in lines.

Read the full article here. Also see our section on American Democracy or our articles on  Voter Turnout, the Internet and Voting, Military Voting or just general Voter Access.