Winston & Strawn Continues to Advocate for Formal Recognition of the ERA

On January 10, Winston & Strawn filed an amicus brief on behalf of the ERA Coalition and more than 50 other organizations that fight for sex equality and women’s rights. Prepared by a team led by Linda Coberly, chair of the firm’s Appellate & Critical Motions Practice and chair of the ERA Coalition’s Legal Task Force, the brief argues for formal recognition of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). These efforts were featured in various publications including Ms. Magazine, Law.com, The 19th, Reuters, and CNN.

“Our hope is that this amicus brief will convey why it’s appropriate to allow a longer time than seven years for a civil rights and cultural change like the one the ERA reflects,” Linda explained.

ERA advocates believe the amendment is already part of the Constitution because the key requirements—approval by Congress and ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures—have been met and Article V does not specify otherwise.

Amending the Constitution is not a “tidy process,” Linda said. “So the fact that this is all going on with the ERA—it’s actually not that unusual. … [T]he last amendment that was put in the Constitution was proposed by James Madison. And it took 203 years to ratify.”

On January 27, the two-year anniversary of the final ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, Partners Linda Coberly and Danielle Williams both spoke at press conferences to push for continued progress in the fight for equal rights.

Watch the National ERA Coalition press conference here and the ERA NC Alliance press conference here.

Learn more about Winston & Strawn’s commitment to the ERA here.