President Biden declared the Equal Rights Amendment ratified, asserting that the necessary 38 states had voted in favor, despite past legal challenges and rescinded approvals. This action, intended to enshrine equal rights for women in the Constitution, relies on the American Bar Association’s interpretation that ratification deadlines are unenforceable. However, the Archivist of the United States has previously stated that certification is legally impossible, setting the stage for a likely court battle. The move comes as Biden uses his final days in office to enact numerous executive actions, some of which may be easily reversed by the incoming administration.
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Virginia’s 2020 ratification marked the 38th state to approve the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), fulfilling the constitutional requirement for adoption. The American Bar Association and leading legal scholars concur that all necessary steps for ERA’s inclusion as the 28th Amendment have been completed. Therefore, the Amendment is deemed ratified and legally part of the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing equal rights regardless of sex. This action upholds the will of the American people and fulfills a constitutional duty to ensure equal protection under the law.
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Adele and Greg Kurstin face a plagiarism lawsuit in Brazil alleging their song “Million Years Ago” infringes on Toninho Geraes’s “Mulheres.” A judge initially ordered the song’s worldwide removal, a decision that has since been challenged. A subsequent conciliation hearing failed to reach an agreement, with the defendants’ absence and conflicting expert opinions on melodic similarity contributing to the impasse. The case highlights ambiguities in Brazilian copyright law and the potential ramifications of setting a precedent for removing songs based on perceived similarities.
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John Q. Hosedrinker