Winston & Strawn Files Amicus Brief to Support Adoption of Equal Rights Amendment

More than 50 Women’s Rights Organizations Argue for Adoption Following Ratification by 38 States as Required in U.S. Constitution

CHICAGO – July 1, 2020 – Winston & Strawn filed today an amicus brief on behalf of the Equal Rights Amendment Coalition and more than 50 women’s rights organizations to compel the Archivist of the United States to officially publish the now-ratified amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Winston’s team was led by Linda Coberly, the firm’s Chicago Office Managing Partner, Chair of its Appellate & Critical Motions Practice, and Chair of the ERA Coalition’s Legal Task Force.

The ERA satisfied all constitutional requirements for adoption in January 2020 when Virginia became the thirty-eighth state to ratify. The amicus brief argues that an arbitrary seven-year time frame imposed by Congress in 1972 should not stand in the way of adoption as it does not – and cannot – alter the provisions of the Constitution that govern amendments.

“Winston & Strawn is thrilled to be presenting a brief on behalf of such a diverse and powerful group of organizations that fight for equality every day,” said Coberly. “Winston has been a proud advocate of the ERA for several years, beginning with the successful effort for ratification in Illinois. We’ve since been honored to support the national movement, and we are committed to leveraging our resources through to final adoption.”

The ERA Coalition represents more than 100 member and lead organizations that advocate for state and federal constitutional amendments to guarantee equal rights regardless of sex. The ERA Coalition’s polling research shows that 94% of Americans support constitutional equality for women and men. Co-signers of the brief (listed below) represent a broad array of groups striving for equality and opportunity for women and working to eliminate sex-based discrimination and violence.

“The ERA Coalition commends the Attorneys General of Nevada, Illinois, and Virginia for their efforts to bring about equal rights for all,” said Jessica Neuwirth and Carol Jenkins, Co-Presidents of the ERA Coalition. “We are proud to stand with them today with the strength of our members who have worked so hard and for so long to meet the requirements for placing the 28th Amendment in the Constitution. Now is the time to take a stand for equality.”

Winston & Strawn is a proud and active supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment and the modern effort to make it part of the U.S. Constitution. Winston’s involvement began in 2017, as the firm joined the revived campaign for ratification in Illinois. Winston has hosted events, coordinated activists, published legal research, led webinars, submitted witness slips, and testified at a legislative hearing. After the state’s historic ratification in 2018, Winston joined the national ERA Coalition as a Lead Organization—the first law firm to do so. The firm was part of the effort to secure ratification in Virginia and remains actively engaged in support of additional ratification campaigns and full adoption to the U.S. Constitution.

Winston & Strawn LLP is an international law firm with 15 offices located throughout North America, Asia, and Europe. More information about the firm is available at www.winston.com.

Complete list of participants in today’s amicus brief:
Alice Paul Institute (API)
American Association of University Women (AAUW)
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA)
Arizona NOW
Black Women’s Roundtable (BWR)
Dolores Huerta Foundation
Domestic Violence Legal Empowerment and Appeals Project (DV LEAP)
Downtown Women for Change
Equal Rights Amendment North Carolina Alliance (ERA-NC Alliance)
Equality Utah
ERA Coalition
ERA Minnesota
ERA Task Force AZ
Feminist Majority Foundation
Fund for Women’s Equality (FFWE)
Gender Justice
General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC)
Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc.
Justice Revival
League of Women Voters of the United States
Legal Momentum
Michigan Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Inc.
Michigan ERAmerica
Mormons for ERA
National Alliance to End Sexual Violence (NAESV)
National Association of Commissions for Women (NACW)
National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL)
National Congress of Black Women, Inc.
National Council of Jewish Women, Inc.
National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs
National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project, Inc. (NIWAP)
National Organization for Women (NOW)
National Women’s Political Caucus (NWPC)
National Women’s Political Caucus Foundation
Oklahoma Women’s Coalition
Project 28 MO
Rethinking Eve LLC
Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN)
Sisters of Loretto - Loretto Community
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet Area
TIME’S UP Foundation
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
United 4 Equality, LLC
Utah ERA Coalition
Voto Latino
Women’s Equality Coalition
Women’s Health and Reproductive Rights
Women’s Law Project (WLP)
Women Lawyers on Guard Inc. (WLG)
Women’s Media Center
YWCA USA