The Equal Rights Amendment, the feminist amendment to the Constitution that seemingly ran aground in the early 1980s, has gained fresh momentum, as Democratic victories mean Virginia is poised to become the 38th and final necessary state to ratify it.

Even if Virginia follows through, however, it is unclear whether the constitutional amendment that cleared Congress 47 years ago will finally see success, as the process is complicated by questions about the applicability of congressional deadlines and the fact that other states have rescinded ratification in the intervening years.