True the Vote, a nonpartisan voters’ rights and election integrity organization, declared a “decisive triumph” in its legal battle against Fair Fight Action, a voting rights group founded by Democrat Stacy Abrams.
“Today’s ruling sends a clear message to those who would attempt to control the course of our nation through lawfare and intimidation. American citizens will not be silenced,” True the Vote President Catherine Engelbrecht (pictured above) said in a statement. “This is an answer to the prayers of faithful patriots across America.”
“A federal court in the Northern District of Georgia today affirmed that citizens have the right to lawfully petition their government in support of election integrity without fear of persecution or prosecution,” the election integrity group announced in a press release on Tuesday. “This victory is a testament to every American’s constitutional right to free speech and the importance of actively participating in the electoral process.”
Abrams’ Fair Fight sued True the Vote, arguing the organization violated the Voting Rights Act when it aided Georgia citizens in filing elector challenges in December 2020 after data showed over 364,000 voters appeared to be ineligible to vote due to change in residency.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Steve Jones ruled there was insufficient evidence that True the Vote tried to threaten or coerce voters by aiding in filing elector challenges, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
BREAKING!🚨🚨🚨@TrueTheVote Defeats Fair Fight, Stacey Abrams, Marc Elias, and the Biden Department of Justice in Landmark Election Case in Georgia Federal Court!
Click the link for our official press release!https://t.co/vMyvhN8Suf pic.twitter.com/PhRaPcW5QS
— True the Vote (@TrueTheVote) January 2, 2024
In a 145-page order obtained by the outlet, Judge Jones wrote, “Not only have plaintiffs failed to overcome the fact that their actions did not result in any direct voter contact or alone include or direct county boards of elections to pursue an eligibility inquiry, but there is no evidence that defendants’ actions caused (or attempted to cause) any voter to be intimidated, coerced, or threatened in voting.”
True the Vote lead attorney Jake Evans added, “After almost three years of litigation and a two-week federal trial with plaintiff calling 12 witnesses, Judge Steven Jones awarded a complete defense verdict for all defendants. This decision is monumental. It vindicates True the Vote in totality and establishes that eligibility challenges under Section 230 are a proper method to ensure voter rolls are accurate. I am grateful to help achieve this great victory.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Georgia Star News and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Catherine Engelbrecht” by Catherine Engelbrecht.
