A Georgia judge dismissed the majority of a lawsuit requesting an inspection of Fulton County’s absentee ballots prior to 2020’s presidential election.
This could be a setback for Republican-led efforts to undermine the legitimacy results in the largest county of the state, although the case will continue for the moment.
Plaintiffs who claim that fake ballots were used in the 2020 election have asked for microscopes to inspect nearly 150,000 absentee votes. They want to inspect the paper stock, folds, and method of filling the bubbles to determine if they are fake.
Even if the audit is successful, it won’t result in Georgia’s election results being reversed. These have been certified for President Joe Biden.
On Thursday, Henry County Superior Court Chief Judge Brian Amero dismissed the case against Fulton County and the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections. He stated that the plaintiffs had failed to prove an applicable waiver of sovereign immunity so their constitutional claims against the governmental actors in the current petition could be pursued.”
Sovereign immunity laws restrict plaintiffs’ ability to seek relief from the courts.
Amero stated that “misjoinder” of parties was not grounds for dismissal. On motion by any party, or its own initiative, at any stage in the action, parties may be added or dropped.
Robb Pitts (chairman of Fulton County Board of Commissioners) reacted sharply to the judge’s decision to dismiss the majority of the lawsuit.
“This lawsuit is the result meritless claims, and the Big Lie. Pitts stated that the votes were counted three more times, including a hand recount. There was no evidence of widespread fraud. “Last year I told President Trump and those who promote the Big Lie to “put it up or shut it up.” Six months have passed and there has been no evidence of wrongdoing. Pitts said, “Enough is enough. This whole circus must stop.”
In the wake of President Donald Trump’s November defeat, conservatives have been clamoring for election audits to be conducted in many states. Some Republicans persist in the baseless belief of widespread fraud despite lack of evidence.
The ballot inspection in Georgia would have more safeguards than the free for all audit that took place in Arizona. According to the judge, the plaintiffs will have to present to him the protocols of the inspection.
Georgia, where Biden won a close election and flipped blue, is now the central focus of Republicans’ absurd attempts to delegitimize 2020.
In January, Trump famously relied on Brad Raffensperger (state’s top election official) to “find” him the votes he needed to win the state. This effort is currently the subject of a criminal investigation. Raffensperger, Gov. Both Brian Kemp and Gov.