Biden claims Equal Rights Amendment should be seen as ratified in U.S. Constitution
President Joe Biden stated that the Equal Rights Amendment should be viewed as ratified in the U.S. Constitution. This comes as he prepares to leave office, but it is unlikely to change the current legal status of the amendment. The National Archives has maintained that the amendment cannot be certified due to a deadline set by Congress. Biden's statement does not direct the archivist to take action, avoiding potential legal disputes. Activists gathered outside the National Archives to support Biden's statement and urged the archivist to act. The Equal Rights Amendment, aimed at prohibiting gender discrimination, was first proposed in 1972 and ratified by Virginia in 2020.