by Rebecca DeWolf
Rebecca DeWolf is a historian with a PhD in American history from American University. She is the author of the forthcoming book, Gendered Citizenship: The Original Conflict over the Equal Rights Amendment, 1920-1963 to be published by The University of Nebraska Press in Fall 2021.
For the first time in decades, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) has new life. In recent years, supporters have gathered the three additional state ratifications the amendment theoretically needed for incorporation into the Constitution. In March, the House passed a measure that would set aside the 1982 deadline for ratification. That measure is currently sitting in the Senate where Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) recently commented that he believes it might be possible to get enough Republican support to secure passage. Of course, enshrining the ERA in the Constitution also will require the Supreme Court to allow Congress to waive the deadline after the fact.