While the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) garnered steady popular support in the 1970s and seemed destined to be ratified before its 1982 deadline, the STOP ERA movement and other conservative voices persuaded legislators in various states to vote against it. When Virginia legislators revived and ratified the ERA in 2020, the archivist of the U.S. determined that the 1982 deadline will be observed regardless of subsequent state ratifications. Yet members of Congress, state legislators, and organizations like the ERA Coalition challenged the deadline and continue to push for its ratification. We will examine how conservative women were able to halt the progress of such a popular amendment and consider what comes next for the ERA.

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