Joe Biden Unveils US Supreme Court Reform Plans

US President Joe Biden revealed proposals Monday for immediate reforms to the conservative-dominated Supreme Court, in a bold but long-shot effort as he strives to make an impact in his final six months in office.

According to the White House, the 81-year-old Democrat is proposing a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s recent verdict in favor of Donald Trump’s claims to presidential immunity.

Following controversial decisions such as the elimination of the nationwide right to abortion, the Democrat is also advocating for term limits for Supreme Court justices, who currently serve for life.

Biden, who will elaborate on the proposals in an address in Austin, Texas later Monday, will also seek an enforced ethics code following a series of scandals.

He indicated he would seek the reforms during an Oval Office address last week detailing his goals after withdrawing from the 2024 election, although the measures have little chance of passing through a severely divided Congress.

“This nation was founded on a simple yet profound principle: No one is above the law. Not the president of the United States. Not a justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. No one,” Biden said in an opinion piece published Monday.

“What is happening now is not normal, and it undermines the public’s confidence in the court’s decisions, including those impacting personal freedoms. We now stand in a breach.”

Though their chances are small, the suggested reforms reflect Biden’s growing dissatisfaction with a court stacked with Trump-appointed judges, as well as a growing public distrust of the institution.

The White House stated that Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the expected Democratic contender for the November election, “look forward to working with Congress” on the proposals.

Biden had previously opposed efforts to restructure or modify the court’s nine life-appointed justices.

However, the White House announced that Biden will now seek 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices, with new justices chosen every two years.

‘Close to zero’

This would “reduce the chance that any single presidency imposes undue influence for generations to come,” according to an information sheet.

He would also seek a “binding, enforceable” ethics code akin to those used by federal courts.

The Supreme Court has a 6-3 conservative majority, including three judges nominated during Trump’s presidency, and has handed multiple knocks to Biden in recent years.

The court surprised the world in 2022 when it overturned the 1973 Roe v Wade decision, which had established the constitutional right to abortion. At least 20 states have now implemented full or partial abortion bans.

This year, the court drastically reduced the power of federal agencies while simultaneously largely ruling in early July in favor of Republican nominee Trump’s immunity claim.

Trump is now using the verdict to appeal his recent criminal conviction in a porn star hush money case, as well as a number of other prosecutions.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has been shaken by ethics scandals involving arch-conservative justices.

Justice Clarence Thomas just confessed that a rich Republican political donor paid for two luxurious vacations that he took in 2019.

Thomas, the court’s longest-serving justice, has also refused to recuse himself from matters involving the 2020 election after his wife participated in the campaign to retain Trump in power despite his electoral defeat.

Justice Samuel Alito has also resisted demands to disqualify himself from several Trump-related matters after flags associated with the former president’s phony election fraud accusations were seen flying outside his home and vacation site.

Legal expert Steven Schwinn, however, warned that Biden had a “close to zero” chance of having the idea approved.

However, Biden was most likely seeking to “raise public consciousness” and “introduce the Supreme Court as an election issue,” according to Schwinn, a law professor at the University of Illinois Chicago.

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