A federal judge in Atlanta turned Secretary of State Brian Kemp's own words against him in denying a request to postpone a court order intended to reduce the number of rejected absentee ballots across the state.

Judge Leigh Martin May of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia said that staying an injunction pending an appeal is not a right—echoing Kemp's argument in seeking the delay that absentee voting is “a privilege and a convenience,” not a right.

In a court order issued late Tuesday, May reiterated that the risk qualified absentee voters' ballots will be rejected because of alleged signature discrepancies is “high.”

Read May's decision:

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Last week, May issued temporary restraining orders in two federal voting rights cases challenging the state's stringent matching provisions in processing applications for ballots and ballots cast by absentee voters.