President Biden says he believes the amendment has met the requirements to be enshrined in the Constitution. Its history has been long and complex.

PHILADELPHIA — Progressive activists in Congress have put mounting pressure on President Joe Biden to direct the archivist of the United States to certify and publish the Equal Rights Amendment — which would become the first explicit mention of women in the U.

U.S. President Joe Biden called the Equal Rights Amendment "the law of the land," on Friday, backing an effort to enshrine the change into the U.S. Constitution even though it long ago failed to secure the approval of enough states to become an amendment.

The ERA’s deadline expired decades ago, but the president argues that recent approvals by three states put the amendment over the top.

Did Florida ever ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, the 1972 amendment that declared women equal under the law?

Legal scholars say President Joe Biden might be right about the Equal Rights Amendment — but his declaration on Friday has no legal significance. In a surprise move on his way out of office, Biden proclaimed that the amendment has met the requirements for ratification and is now part of the Constitution.

Supporters say it is needed to protect against discrimination. Opponents argue the timetable to have it become part of the Constitution has passed.

The struggle over the Equal Rights Amendment started more than a century ago when suffragist Alice Paul first proposed it shortly after the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the