A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by three Democratic state attorneys general including Kwame Raoul of Illinois seeking to force the federal government to recognize Virginia’s vote last year to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.
The lawsuit dismissed by a federal judge Friday sought to add the amendment to the Constitution. After Virginia became the 38th to ratify the amendment that supporters say will guarantee women equal rights under the law, the archivist of the United States declared he would take no step to certify the amendment’s adoption.
The archivist noted Congress enacted a ratification deadline for the ERA that passed decades ago. However, Raoul doesn’t believe that Congress’s arbitrary deadline for the Equal Rights Amendment is effective. He notes while the ruling may seem like a setback, they will continue to fight for the US Constitution to explicitly prohibit all forms of discrimination, including that based on sex.
Illinois, Nevada, and Virginia didn’t ratify the amendment until after the Congressional deadline.
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring says he’s considering an appeal.
