The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will soon hear the civil rights voting case of Fair Fight, Inc. v. Catherine Engelbrecht, founder of True the Vote, Inc. (TTV).
Fair Fight, a group founded by Stacey Abrams, a twice-failed Democratic nominee for Georgia governor, is a nonprofit organization "fighting for fair and free elections." Abrams was triggered after True the Vote, a nonprofit investigating and revealing mass voter fraud nationwide, challenged the eligibility of more than 360,000 Georgia voters ahead of a 2021 runoff election.
Fair Fight filed a civil rights lawsuit claiming voter intimidation in violation of the Voting Rights Act. The plaintiffs claimed it is illegal to intimidate voters even if they do not exhibit intent.
On Dec. 19, 2022, then-President Joe Biden's Department of Justice intervened shortly after and filed a brief asking the Court to reject TTV's arguments.
Fair Fight lost the case when District Court Judge Steve C. Jones concluded that TTV did not intimidate, coerce or threaten any voters. The judge stated that any questions regarding voter challenges are for the Georgia legislature, not the court, as voter challenges are permitted in the state.
The progressive nonprofit appealed the trial court ruling.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has already instructed the DOJ to dismiss a lawsuit filed under Biden claiming voter suppression due to voting security measures in the state.
It is unclear if Bondi will step in before oral arguments in the TTV case, which are scheduled for May 13.
Either way, True the Vote attorney Jake Evans believes the appellate court's decision will mirror the lower court's ruling.
"After a two-week trial, the District Court properly ruled in TTV's favor on all accounts. We are confident that the Eleventh Circuit will as well," Evans told 1819 News.
After Fair Fight spent millions on attorneys in voter intimidation cases, Democratic attorneys are not charging Fair Fight for the appeal.
This is not the first legal battle for TTV founder Catherine Engelbrecht. She and Alabama native Gregg Phillips, who leads TTV, were both jailed in Texas for contempt after refusing to reveal their sources in another voter fraud investigation. The Fifth Circuit Court vacated that charge.
TTV has vowed to continue fighting for secure elections despite political attacks.
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