RICHMOND, VA – The Virginia NAACP has announced their objection to Attorney General Jason Miyares withdrawing from the ERA lawsuit.
Republican Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares moved Friday to withdraw the state from a lawsuit that seeks to force the federal government to recognize Virginia's 2020 vote to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and add the text to the Constitution.
In a court filing, Miyares asked that the commonwealth be dismissed as a party to the lawsuit, which was initiated by his Democratic predecessor and is currently on appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Advocates say the Equal Rights Amendment - which was initially proposed in Congress in 1923 and passed in 1972 - would enshrine equality for women in the Constitution, offering stronger protections in sex discrimination cases and giving Congress firmer ground to pass anti-discrimination laws. Opponents warn it would erode commonsense protections for women, such as workplace accommodations during pregnancy, and could be used to support abortion rights.
“Over 80 percent of Virginians approved the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment by gaining bipartisan support in the Virginia General Assembly that enshrined equality for women in the Constitution, and it offered stronger protections in sex discrimination cases, and it would give Congress firmer ground to pass anti-discrimination laws, Virginia NAACP President Robert N. Barnette, Jr. said. "The decision by Attorney General Jason Miyares goes against Virginians who support equal rights for all.”
Virginia ratified the Equal Rights Amendment in 2020 after more than 20 years of advocacy becoming the 38th state to do so. The Virginia NAACP says they stand in solidarity with Virginians and on the side of equal rights for all.
