Last updated on August 29th, 2024 at 06:13 am
Washington: Defying the conservative-dominated Supreme Court, President Joe Biden said on Monday he wants to enshrine urgent reforms into the court’s ruling, leveraging what many expect to be the final six months of his presidency. The 81-year-old Democrat will seek to propose a constitutional amendment against the ruling of the Court supporting Donald Trump’s claims of presidential immunity, in line with a statement by the White House.
Proposed Constitutional Amendment and Term Limits
Biden also proposed setting term limits for Supreme Court justices, who serve their entire lives, after a string of controversial decisions, including one that nullified the right to abortion nationwide. He also proposed an enforceable ethics code for the Court following several recent scandals.
Speech in Austin, Texas
Biden will make the proposals in more detail in a speech in Austin, Texas, later on Monday. The planned reforms come as growing frustration on the part of Biden at a court dominated by appointees of his predecessor, Trump, coincides with opinion polls showing falling public confidence in the institution.
Biden’s Pledge for Accountability
Accountability, in an opinion piece published on Monday, was framed this way by Biden: “This nation was founded on a simple yet profound principle: No one is above the law. Not the president of the United States.
White House and Congressional Collaboration
The White House said Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were prepared to work with Congress on those reforms.
That would mean, under the new 18-year terms for justices, new appointments would come every two years to block a single presidency from leaving a lengthy mark on the court.
Challenges Ahead
Yet, if ambitious, these reforms’ prospects for passage through a deeply divided Congress could hardly be considered better than slim. According to Steven Schwinn, an expert in constitutional law, Biden’s proposals have a “close to zero” chance of success but suggested Biden intends to “raise public consciousness” and make the Supreme Court a serious election issue.
Code of Ethics and Public Confidence
These would be proposed reforms that would force a binding, enforceable ethics code-similar to those applied to federal judges. After recent ethics scandals, including conservative justices such as Justice Clarence Thomas accepting luxury vacations paid for by a billionaire Republican donor, and Justice Samuel Alito refusing to recuse himself from Trump-related cases, the Biden administration weighed in.
Biden’s Motivations and Public Support
Biden’s call for reforms serves to underline the commitment of these measures to ensure that integrity and accountability in the Supreme Court will be maintained. Precisely because “these steps,” as explained in the White House fact sheet, would “reduce the chance that any single presidency could impose unduly influence for generations to come,” the objective of all these suggested changes is to restore public trust and uphold the rule of law.
