Virginia approved the ERA. Now what’s the holdup?

Virginia’s sprint to green-light the Equal Rights Amendment this month was heralded by proponents across the country. Buoyed by new Democratic majorities in both chambers of its General Assembly, Virginia became the 38th state to approve the amendment that would guarantee equal legal rights regardless of sex. Michigan ratified the ERA more than 40 years ago, on May 22, 1972. Virginia’s action marked a watershed moment for advocates of the ERA, who have been scrambling to check off the needed 38 state ratifications after Congress endorsed the amendment in the 1970s. But even the ERA’s most ardent supporters recognize that the victory was largely symbolic — at least for now. The amendment faces a spate of legal and political hurdles that must be cleared before equal rights can be enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. n advance of Virginia’s expected ratification, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee voted last November to advance a resolution from Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) that would remove the deadline initially laid out in 1972. The measure is co-sponsored by all seven Michigan Democrats: U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell of Dearborn, Elissa Slotkin of Holly, Dan Kildee of Flint, Rashida Tlaib of Detroit, Brenda Lawrence of Southfield, Andy Levin of Bloomfield Township and Haley Stevens of Rochester Hills.