ERA in the News: JUNE 27 - JULY 2, 2020
50+ WOMEN'S AND SOCIAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATIONS SIGN AMICUS BRIEF IN LAWSUIT TO RATIFY THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT
On July 1, 2020, the Chicago law firm Winston & Strawn filed the Women's Movement amicus brief in support of the the lawsuit brought against the U.S. Archivist by the Attorneys General of Illinois, Nevada, and Virginia in support of the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. The brief asks the court to hold that the original time limit cannot stop the ERA's ratification now that it has met the requirements for amendment to the United States Constitution.
With the strong leadership of Linda Coberly, the firm's Managing Partner Chair of the Appellate and Critical Motions Practice, the amicus brief was filed on behalf of the ERA Coalition, of which Coberly also serves as Chair of the coalition’s Legal Task Force. Coberly's dedication resulted in the signing of the brief by 52 women's and social justice organizations. A full list of the organizations is below.
“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 in a press release from the firm. “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.”
Filed in late January 2020, the AG's lawsuit is intended to legally compel U.S. Archivist David Ferriero to publish Virginia's ratification of the ERA earlier that month. That same month, just days after Virginia's historic vote to become the 38th, and final necessary state, to ratify the ERA. Just days later, the House of Representatives voted to pass H.J. RES 79 which officially removed the time limit stated in the ERA's preamble. The U.S. Senate has yet to hold hearings or hold a floor vote for SJ RES 6, which is seen by legal scholars as the final barrier to the ERA's addition to the U.S. Constitution.
We will continue to monitor developments of the lawsuit and report developments as they emerge.
Full list of co-signers of the Women’s Movement 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
UPDATES ON S.J. RES 6 IN THE U.S. SENATE
We continue to monitor the number co-sponsors on the Senate bill to remove the original time limit on the Equal Rights Amendment.
Co-Sponsors = 48
(same last week)
View the full resolution HERE.
See the "CALL TO ACTION" section to see how you can join the letter-writing campaign to U.S. Senators, urging them to sign on in support.
INTERNATIONAL
June 28 Mrs. America TV Review, Perth Now
NATIONAL
June 28 Bridesmaids star Rose Byrne on her double helping of political movies, BBC News
June 28 Kind Lights Up New York Skyline to Commemorate Pride's 50th Anniversary, Ad Week
June 29 The Supreme Court Delivered a Surprise Win on Abortion Rights. Here's Why It's Not Enough, TIME
June 29 Paul, Weiss Advises on Amicus Brief in Support of Equal Rights Amendment, Paul & Weiss
June 30 Why Apple, Google, and 91 other companies are now voicing support for the Equal Rights Amendment, Fortune
June 30 BAM Joins Corporate Coalition Urging Certification of Equal Rights Amendment, Business Wire
June 30 How Women in Big Law are Stepping Into the Court Fight Over the Equal Rights Amendment, Law.com
July 1 Dear Supreme Court: Shouldn't the ERA Be Next?, Women's eNews
July 1 It's time to focus on the state of healthcare for Black women, Fortune
July 2 How the Cast of Mrs. America Compares to the Real People, Refinery 29
July 3 Large businesses have come out in support of the ERA--including some with sexist histories, Quartz
July 3 Can the 'Spirit of 1776' heal our nation in 2020?, The Hill
STATES
CONNECTICUT
July 2 NY and CT attorneys general push for Equal Rights Amendment ratification, Westfair Online
FLORIDA
June 30 Conference of Mayors joins fight to implement Equal Rights Amendment, Florida Phoenix
GEORGIA
July 1 Winston & Strawn Files Amicus Brief to Support Adoption of Equal Rights Amendment, Cherokee Tribune Ledger News
ILLINOIS
June 29 Raoul Files Brief to Add ERA As 28th Amendment, WLDS-WEAI
July 1 Rauol asks federal judge to force recognition of Equal Rights Amendment's ratification, Bureau County Republican
*This article appeared in several Illinois publications after July 1
KANSAS
June 30 Equal Rights Amendment Update, Fort Scott Biz
MARYLAND
July 3 Virtual Chautauqua, Class Registration Workshops and Transfer Thursday, The Southern Maryland Chronicle
MASSACHUSETTS
July 1 Mass. case one of two seeking ratification of Equal Rights Amendment, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly
MONTANA
June 28 Pandemic accents need for Equal Rights Amendment, Bozeman Daily Chronicle
July 2 Equal Rights Amendment Is Almost Law, Char-Koosta News
NEVADA
June 29 Datebook, Elko Daily Free Press
NEW YORK
June 27 Monument of women's rights pioneers coming to Central Park this summer, New York Post
June 28 Gay in Trumpland, City & State
June 30 Attorney General James Leads Coalition Fighting for Recognition of Equal Rights Amendment, EIN News
July 1 AG James joins amicus brief supporting passage of Equal Rights Amendment, Brooklyn Daily Eagly
NORTH CAROLINA
July 2 Opinion, New Bern Sun Journal
OHIO
June 29 Today in History, Logan Daily News
PENNSYLVANIA
June 29 Two for the price of one: Pair of proposed amendments to state constitution head to Pa. house, PA Post
June 30 Working Together Beyond the Vote, County Lines Magazine
VIRGINIA
June 29 Virginia House Democrats Prioritize Virginia's Clean Energy Future, Blue Virginia
June 29 AG Mark Herring Continues to Fight to Recognize ERA as Part of US Constitution, Blue Virginia
June 29 Herring files legal brief in state fight with Trump over ERA, Augusta Free Press
July 3 Letters to the editor for July 3, 2020, Lynchburg News and Advance
OPPOSITION
June 29 The "Women's Vote" Never Existed, The New Republic
SJ RES 6 TO REMOVE THE TIME LIMIT
The Alice Paul Institute is working to amplify the ERA Coalition's efforts to advance S.J. Res 6 in the U.S. Senate. This bill will remove the time line assigned to the Equal Rights Amendment in 1972. We urgently encourage constituents to contact their Senator, with a special focus on the senators listed below, to request their support for the bill.
To see if your Senator has signed on as a co-sponsor, click HERE .
Note: This list was updated 4/29/2020.
The ERA Coalition is asking for our support to increase pressure on U.S. Senators to advance SJ Res 6 , the legislation that will remove the original deadline from the ERA. Introduced by Sen. Ben Cardin (MD), more co-sponsors are needed to advance the bill.
The following Senators have been selected for focused attention. If you are in these states, please call and email the office contacts (info below). Please also share with your friends, family, and colleagues who live in these states so they can join you in advocating their Senators to sign onto the bill as co-sponsors.
ALASKA:
Sen. Dan Sulllivan (R)
(202) 224-3004
David Pigue
david_pigue@sullivan.senate.gov
ARIZONA:
Sen. Martha McSally (R)
(202) 224-2235
Pace McMullan
pace_mcmullan@mcsally.senate.gov
COLORADO:
Sen. Cory Gardner (R)
(202) 224-5941
Brian Wanamaker
brian_wanamaker@gardner.senate.gov
IOWA:
Sen. Joni Ernst (R)
(202) 224-3254
Grace Galvin
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R)
(202) 224-3744
Evelyn Fortier
evelyn_fortier@judiciary-rep.senate.gov
NORTH CAROLINA:
Sen. Richard Burr (R)
(202) 224-3154
Ann Woods Hawks
Sen. Thom Tillis (R)
(202) 224-6342
Brad Watts
OHIO:
Sen. Rob Portman (R)
(202) 224-4254
Megan Harrington
megan_harrington@portman.senate.gov
PENNSYLVANIA:
Sen. Pat Toomey (R)
(202) 224-3354
Kerry Hunt
UTAH:
Sen. Mitt Romney (R)
(202) 224-5251
Chris Barkley
chris_barkley@romney.senate.gov
WEST VIRGINIA:
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R)
(202) 224-6472
Adam Tomlinson adam_tomlinson@capito.senate.gov
The ERA Coalition has crafted a sample script (below) for you to use when you write or email your U.S. Senators. Please edit/adapt at you wish.
Dear Senator _____________,
Thank you for your work to ensure the health and safety of all Americans during this health crisis and your particular attention paid to the economy and workers in our country. As you return to attending to many issues of importance, along with continued efforts with the Coronavirus pandemic, we ask that you remember the equal rights of women in our country.
As a [member of INSERT ORG and/or resident and voter in INSERT STATE], I am writing to urge you to co-sponsor and support SJ Res 6, the bill to remove the deadline from the 1972 Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The bipartisan bill was introduced by co-lead sponsors Senator Ben Cardin (MD) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (AK). The House companion bill, HJ Res 79, was passed with bipartisan support on February 13, 2020. It is now up to the Senate to be on the right side of history, as we celebrate the centennial of women’s suffrage.
Polling conducted by the ERA Coalition shows that equality is something we can all agree on. Their research found that 94% of respondents would support an amendment to the Constitution to guarantee equality for women and men, including 99% of millennials! Near-universal support crosses party lines, reaffirming the bipartisan history of the ERA.
Drafted by Alice Paul, the ERA was first introduced nearly 100 years ago in 1923. The ERA was passed through both houses of Congress in 1972, but fell just three states short of ratification when the time limit expired in 1982. However, with renewed momentum, Nevada became the 36th state to ratify in 2017 and Illinois quickly followed to become the 37th in 2018. In January 2020, Virginia became the 38th, reaching the threshold set by Article V of the Constitution, which provides that an amendment is effective when ratified by three-quarters of the states. It is past time for the U.S. Constitution to explicitly protect women from discrimination, and Congress has the opportunity to remove any ambiguity surrounding the ERA’s ratification.
I hope that you, Senator [INSERT LAST NAME] will join the bipartisan group of 48 Senators, including Senators Cardin, Murkowski, Collins and King who have cosponsored this legislation. Your support will put us closer to a mark-up and vote on SJ Res 6 and affirm your dedication to promoting an equal future for the women and girls of this country. To sign on or request more information, please contact Juan Urcia in Senator Cardin’s office, Juan_Urcia@cardin.senate.gov, or Garrett Boyle in Senator Murkowski’s office, Garrett_Boyle@murkowski.senate.gov.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
[insert your name]