Caption:WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 22: A woman hold up a sign as members of Congress and representatives of women's groups hold a rally to mark the 40th anniversary of congressional passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) outside the U.S. Capitol March 22, 2012 in Washington, DC. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced a new version of the Equal Rights Amendment last year and called for it to be passed again. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Why the Equal Rights Amendment is a 2020 priority
02:37 - Source: CNN
CNN  — 

The Trump administration is asking a federal court to throw out a lawsuit from three attorneys general that seeks to add the Equal Rights Amendment to the US Constitution.

In January, the attorneys general of Virginia, Illinois and Nevada sued US archivist David Ferriero in US District Court in Washington, DC, to force him to “carry out his statutory duty of recognizing the complete and final adoption” of the ERA as the 28th Amendment to the Constitution.

On Thursday, Department of Justice officials with the civil division filed a motion to dismiss the case – an expected move that follows a January opinion from the department’s Office of Legal Counsel that the deadline to ratify the ERA has expired.