Georgia judge strikes down attempt to purge 14K voters in largely Black county

A Georgia judge on Monday halted an attempt to purge 14,000 voters from a county with a large Black population.

The Atlanta Journal Constitutionreported that Fulton County Superior Court Jane Barwick dismissed a request from citizens that the county be forced to hold hearings on the status of 14,000 voters.

According to attorney Ray Smith, who represents the group of citizens, many of the voters in the county do not live at the address where they are registered. Smith claimed to have boxes of affidavits from registered voters.

David Lowman, an attorney for Fulton county, argued that federal law prevents the purging of voters this close to an election.

The Georgia NAACP, the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the New Georgia Project all expressed support for the county's position, The Atlanta Journal Constitution said.

Under the ruling, the petitioners will be allowed to refile the request.

The Census Bureau estimates that 44.5% of the population of Fulton County is Black.