Lawsuit filed by Three Republican Attorneys General Looks to Preemptively Block ERA Ratification to the U.S. Constitution

Virginia Slated to Pass ERA in Upcoming Legislative Session to Become the 38^th State to Ratify

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA) released the following statement from the DAGA Executive Committee condemning the lawsuit filed by Republican Attorneys General in Alabama, Louisiana, and South Dakota seeking to block the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).

Statement from the Executive Committee of the Democratic Attorneys General Association:

“We stand with women and for equality. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same of these Republican Attorneys General. We urge our colleagues from across the aisle to reconsider this wrongheaded waste of taxpayer dollars. It’s 2020, not 1920.”

“These same Republican Attorneys General are trying to gut health care for millions of Americans, roll back environmental protections, and reverse years of progress in reproductive freedom. At least now they are making abundantly clear what we’ve known all along—they do not believe in equality for women. This preemptive lawsuit is a blatant effort to thwart our democracy and block women from gaining Constitutional equality, which is already long overdue.”

“Democratic Attorneys General prioritize promoting women’s rights and equality for all. These are non-negotiable. We will support our colleague Virginia AG Mark Herring as he works to ensure the ERA is added to the United States Constitution, as it should be, when the Virginia legislature ratifies the ERA this session. And, we look forward to supporting candidates in the cycles to come that stand with us.”

2020 Democratic Attorneys General Association Leadership:

Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum (OR), Co-Chair
Attorney General Maura Healey (MA), Co-Chair
Attorney General Karl Racine (DC), Chair Emeritus
Attorney General Josh Shapiro (PA), Executive Committee
Attorney General Xavier Becerra (CA), Executive Committee
Attorney General Aaron Ford (NV), Executive Committee
Attorney General William Tong (CT), Executive Committee

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND:

• On December 18, 2019, Alabama AG Steve Marshall, Louisiana AG Jeff Landry, and South Dakota AG Jason Ravnsborg filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block the addition of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
• There is an effort underway in Congress to try to remove the 1982 deadline on the ERA. On November 13, 2019, the House Judiciary Committee successfully marked-up H.J. Res.79, a joint resolution which would clear the path for ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and enshrine equality for both sexes into the U.S. Constitution. The legislation will go to the full House for a vote before heading to the Senate.

• Following the 2019 Election results in Virginia, the Commonwealth is slated to become the thirty-eighth and final state needed to ratify the amendment to the U.S. Constitution.