Biden Archivist Nominee Confirmed Following Tensions Over ERA

The Senate has confirmed Colleen J. Shogan to serve as the federal archivist after she faced criticism for stating she’d decline to publish the Equal Rights Amendment in the Constitution if she took the role.

The upper-chamber voted 52-45 Wednesday on Shogan’s nomination, marking the first time the body confirmed a woman for the seat. Shogan had advanced the Homeland Security and Government Affairs panel by a party-line vote in March.

The office of archivist—typically a low-profile position filled by noncontroversial nominees—came to prominence in recent months due to the legal and political battle over the ERA’s ratification. But in a February hearing, Shogan told senators the archivist’s job is to publish constitutional amendments once they’ve been properly ratified, not to be “the decider” when there’s a dispute.

Shogan has a Yale doctorate and served as the senior vice president at the White House Historical Association. She previously worked at the Library of Congress and in the Senate as a policy staffer.

—With assistance from Chris Marr