RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia has officially become the critical 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. State lawmakers made history earlier this month when each chamber of the General Assembly separately approved ratification resolutions.
On Monday, the House and Senate took the final procedural step of signing off on each other's measures. That action took place with women presiding over both chambers.
Virginia's ratification opens a new chapter in the nearly century-long push to get the amendment added to the Constitution. Many legal scholars expect courts to settle the issue.
One reason why is that a ratification deadline set by Congress expired decades ago.
