ATLANTA, GA — A discrimination lawsuit against the Cobb County fire department has been dropped by the justice department.

It was part of a series of lawsuits filed by former Attorney General Merrick Garland against police and fire departments in several states including Georgia, North Carolina, and Maryland.

The Cobb County fire department had been accused of discriminating against Black applicants because it checked credit reports and used a standardized test that was found to be biased.

A proposed settlement in the case was rejected last month by a federal judge.

Now the suit has been completely dropped. Current Attorney General Pam Bondi says the lawsuits were unjust and only served what she calls a DEI agenda.