PHILADELPHIA — Progressive activists in Congress have put mounting pressure on President Joe Biden to direct the archivist of the United States to certify and publish the Equal Rights Amendment — which would become the first explicit mention of women in the U.

Presidents have no direct role in approving constitutional amendments. So what could President Biden’s pronouncement recognizing a new one actually do?

The ERA’s deadline expired decades ago, but the president argues that recent approvals by three states put the amendment over the top.

Activists expect President Joe Biden to announce Friday that the Equal Rights Amendment should be considered a ratified addition to the U.S. Constitution, inserting himself into a long-running legal battle over gender equality.

President Biden says he believes the amendment has met the requirements to be enshrined in the Constitution. Its history has been long and complex.

U.S. President Joe Biden called the Equal Rights Amendment "the law of the land," on Friday, backing an effort to enshrine the change into the U.S. Constitution even though it long ago failed to secure the approval of enough states to become an amendment.

Did Florida ever ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, the 1972 amendment that declared women equal under the law?