January 02, 2025

Is there hope for ERA?


It's now the beginning of 2025 and the Equal Rights Amendment is still not published in the U.S. Constitution.    The only chance for anything to happen this year is if President Biden instructs the U.S. Archivist to publish it.    Many organizations, including Democrats Abroad, are calling on him to do so.   The likely last chance date for it to happen is January 15, five days before he leaves office.    DA is encouraging our members to email, text or call him during the first two weeks of the new year - see www.democratsabroad.org/era for details.

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was passed by Congress in 1972 and sent to the states for ratification.   In January 2020, Virginia became the 38th state to ratify it.   The ERA has met all the Constitutional requirements to be the 28th Amendment.   Unfortunately, under President Trump, the Department of Justice issued a memo to the Archivist not to publish it just shortly before it was fully ratified.   As a result, it is 'stuck' in limbo.   President Biden has deferred to Congress to declare it valid but although the House passed a resolution, the Senate could only garner 52 votes, not enough to meet the 60 vote filibuster threshold.

So, here we are at the beginning of 2025 and President Biden has the power to do something but so far, has not.   Even the American Bar Association has called upon him to publish it.

If nothing happens before January 20, it is likely the ERA will not be published for years, if not decades.   It's already been 102 years since it was first introduced.    Of course, it should have been part of the Constitution since 1776!

Please join me in making an all-out effort to encourage President Biden to do what is right for American women, in fact all Americans, by including the ERA in the Constitution before he leaves office.

Shari Temple
ERA Task Force Chair
[email protected]