Linda Coberly’s ERA Efforts Featured in Crain’s Chicago Business

Winston & Strawn Partner Linda Coberly was featured in Crain’s Chicago Business’ “She’s Still Fighting for Equal Rights for Women.” The profile highlights fun facts from Linda’s earlier career and the key role she has played in the push to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), a constitutional amendment that would prohibit discrimination based on sex. Working with activists and Winston lawyers, she helped bring about Illinois’ historic ratification of the ERA and continues to advocate nationally as chair of the ERA Coalition’s Legal Task Force. Following is an excerpt from the Q&A:

Why, of all causes, the ERA? It just feels like a fight that we've progressed past.
I had that view myself a couple of years ago. The 14th Amendment does not protect against sex discrimination in the same way it protects against race and national origin discrimination. And even the protections that Justice Ginsburg's advocacy was able to win in the Supreme Court are in question. Justice Scalia said, “The question isn't whether the Constitution requires sex discrimination, it's whether it prohibits it,” and the answer is no, it does not. We have seen a real regression in our public discourse when it comes to issues like race and gender. A lot of women have reawakened to the idea that our law currently does not guarantee them equality.

Read the full Crain’s profile here.