John, When Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the ERA in 2020, all constitutional requirements for the ERA to become the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution were satisfied. Yet the ERA has not been published by the Archivist, David Ferriero, who has an administrative duty to publish the amendment, which would add it to the Constitution. Instead, Ferriero is deferring to a January 2020 memo by the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), at the direction of former Attorney General William Barr. The memo argued that the ERA has not been properly ratified because of an arbitrary deadline established in the 1970s. But because that deadline was not included in the text of the amendment passed by Congress and ratified by the states, it lacks any constitutional authority. Sign if you agree: National Archivist David Ferriero must certify the Equal Rights Amendment. The memo from Trump’s Justice Department represents a tremendous overreach. The Constitution does not give any power to the Executive Branch during the amending process. The rights of women should not be obstructed because of this wrongful action by Trump’s DOJ. The ERA is needed to constitutionally ensure that the foundations and freedoms of our democracy apply equally to all genders. We are calling on Attorney General Merrick Garland to rescind the 2020 OLC opinion and clear the way for the National Archivist to certify the ERA. Sign the petition: Demand the Biden Department of Justice immediately rescind the 2020 OLC memo and advance the ERA. In solidarity,
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