John,

It’s been over three years since Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Since then, people across our country continue to be denied equal rights under the law on account of their sex, and have experienced new legal assaults on their rights, including limits on their reproductive freedom, access to appropriate medical care, and ability to express their gender.

The publication and certification of the Equal Rights Amendment is long overdue. That’s why we’re leading a coalition of democracy and gender equality advocates in issuing a letter to President Biden today urging him to instruct the Acting Archivist of the U.S., Debra Steidel Wall, to fulfill her duty to publish the ERA and declare that it has become part of the Constitution of the United States.

Sign if you agree: It’s time to certify the Equal Rights Amendment.

Under the direction of former Attorney General Bill Barr, the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) argued in a January 2020 memo that the archivist should not publish the ERA because the final states to ratify the amendment did so outside a time limit imposed by Congress. Former National Archivist David Ferriero, in accordance with this opinion, refused to certify and publish the ERA. But as our letter argues, this deadline was not included in the text of the amendment and therefore lacks constitutional authority.

Mr. Ferriero failed in his duty to publish the ERA, and the Constitution remains without language to prevent discrimination on the basis of sex. As we watch ongoing legal battles that endanger the rights of women, transgender people, and members of the LGBTQ+ community, the solution is clear.

Sign the petition: The National Archivist must certify the Equal Rights Amendment.

In solidarity,

Courtney Hostetler
Senior Counsel, Free Speech For People

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