This month, the Justice Department released an opinion concluding that Virginia’s efforts to ratify the E.R.A. had come too late, given the 1982 deadline, and that the entire legislative approval process must be restarted for a proposed amendment to be legally binding. That conclusion however, is only advisory, and the matter is expected to ultimately be decided by federal courts. Further complicating the matter, five states have over the years rescinded their approvals of the E.R.A. One amendment, the 27th Amendment, was ratified in 1992 — more than two centuries after Congress passed it.

Source: New York Times January 15, 2020 18:55 UTC