As part of the Fourth of July celebrations, we’re excited to offer a limited number of copies of Doing Justice, signed by Preet. You will also receive two free months of the CAFE Insider membership added to your account. Available at the CAFE Shop.

The Democratic primary debates last week renewed the public debate about ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which seeks to guarantee equal legal rights regardless of sex. First proposed in 1923 by the suffragist leader Alice Paul, the amendment states:

Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, prior to becoming a Supreme Court justice, helped to broaden the scope of the Equal Protection Clause and passionately advocated for the ERA. In a 1979 law review article, Justice Ginsburg reasoned that ratifying the ERA was the natural next step: