A federal judge in Georgia has declined to block part of a sweeping election law that shortened the state's runoff election period to four weeks from nine weeks while legal challenges play out.

U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee ruled Friday that plaintiffs hadn't proved that the shorter period disproportionately harmed Black voters or that Republican lawmakers intended to discriminate against Black voters when lawmakers enacted the measure in 2021. He denied a request for a preliminary injunction, but the claims can still be litigated at trial.