According to the Associated Press, the state of Virginia has withdrawn from a lawsuit that sought to get the Equal Rights Amendment placed in the US Constitution.
Miyares requested in a Friday court filing that the Commonwealth be removed as a party to the lawsuit, which was backed by his predecessor and is currently before the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
The amendment, which has been championed by legions of women across many generations, states that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.
Two years ago, Virginia became the 38th state to approve the Equal Rights Amendment, but the congressional deadline for passage was almost four decades ago.
Thirty five states were short of what was needed to meet the constitutional requirements at the time of the initial 1979 deadline.
According to Miyares office, a range of legal opinions said the 2020 ratification was too late to count.
Victoria LaCivita, a spokeswoman for the attorney general, said that participation in the lawsuit would undermine the U.S. Constitution.
The amendment is in the hands of Congress according to an opinion from the Department of Justice.
The decision by Miyares is a stunning reversal of the Democratic momentum which led to the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment in the Virginia House of Delegates.
The bill was introduced in the state. In the Democratic primary last year, there was a gubernatorial candidate from Prince William County.
Only a few House Republicans supported the final version of the legislation.
Miyares was a state delegate from Virginia Beach and voted against the bill.
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