AG Garland Says Voting Rights Are 'Still Under Attack'

Attorney General Merrick Garland discussed voting rights and regulations at a church service in Selma, Alabama, commemorating the 59th anniversary of the "Bloody Sunday" police attack on civil rights activists. 

What Garland Said: Citing historical attempts to curtail voting rights, Garland said, "The right to vote is still under attack. And that is why the Justice Department is fighting back." The attorney general then addressed several efforts by DOJ lawyers: "That is why we are challenging efforts by states and jurisdictions to implement discriminatory, burdensome, and unnecessary restrictions on access to the ballot, including those related to mail-in voting, the use of drop boxes, and voter ID requirements. That is why we are working to block the adoption of discriminatory redistricting plans that dilute the vote of black voters and other voters of color. We are holding accountable jurisdictions that fail to provide accessible vote centers for voters with disabilities." 

How the Media Covered It: Some coverage from the right suggested Garland singled out voter ID laws and other "election integrity measures." Partisan alignment varied in coverage. While Fox News' (Right bias) article was fairly straightforward, The Daily Wire (Right bias) cited an X post by the RNC. On the other hand, some coverage from the left cast the attorney general as opposing "efforts to disenfranchise black voters"; however, an opinion writer for MSNBC (Left bias) called Garland's speech a "desperate affirmation to people likely unimpressed with his work to support voting rights."