Biden is expected to say the Equal Rights Amendment should be considered ratified

By CHRIS MEGERIAN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Activists expect President Joe Biden to announce Friday that the Equal Rights Amendment should be considered a ratified addition to the U.S. Constitution, inserting himself into a long-running legal battle over gender equality.

A rally including members of Congress was set for outside the National Archives later in the morning. The archivist has said that the amendment cannot be certified because of concerns about the ratification process.

The Equal Rights Amendment, which would prohibit discrimination based on gender, was sent to the states for ratification in 1972. However, the necessary three-quarters of state legislatures did not ratify it by a deadline set by Congress.

Virginia became the 38th state to ratify it in 2020. The archivist said Congress or the courts must change the deadline to consider the amendment as certified.