The new law, which went into effect immediately, outraged civil rights groups, who say the move is Tennessee’s latest attempt to repress voting ahead of the November elections. “The racial motivation underlying the law is undeniable,” said Kristen Clarke, president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “To criminalize protest activity and disenfranchise voters on top of it defies principles that lie at the heart of our Constitution,” she said. Last year, a federal judge blocked a new Tennessee law that sought to restrict voter registration drives. ADThe new law also imposes mandatory minimum jail sentences for assaulting a first responder or participating in a riot.

Source: Washington Post August 22, 2020 21:21 UTC