President Joe Biden is calling for changes to the U.S. Supreme Court and constitutional reforms that would limit the powers of the nation's highest office, speaking at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library in Austin.
President USA Joe Biden explained that the reforms would aim to limit presidential immunity and introduce term limits for Supreme Court justices. They would also introduce mandatory ethical rules for judges, including financial disclosure and preventing conflicts of interest.
He said Congress should pass legislation that would require a sitting president to appoint a justice every two years to serve 18 years on the Supreme Court. Term limits would help ensure that the Supreme Court would change with some regularity and “reduce the chance that any president would exert undue influence on subsequent generations.”
US President Joe BidenWILLIAM PHILPOTT/PAP/EPA
“We need these reforms to restore trust in the courts and preserve the system of checks and balances that are essential to our democracy,” Biden said. He said the Constitution should be amended to provide that former presidents do not have immunity from federal criminal charges, lawsuits, convictions or penalties.
– There are no kings in America, each of us is equal before the law. (…) Imagine what a president could do, violating civil rights and liberties, having such immunity. The court is being used to implement an extreme and unchecked agenda – assessed Biden.
Biden: What's happening now is not normal
In addition to term limits, Biden called on Congress to impose Supreme Court the same enforceable ethical requirements as other federal judges regarding, among other things, gifts, political activities and financial transactions.
The president unveiled his proposals during a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, signed by President Johnson in 1964. He had previously called for reforms in The Washington Post.
“What is happening now is not normal and undermines public trust in the Supreme Court's decisions, including those concerning personal freedoms,” he wrote. Biden also assured his readiness to work with Congress to implement necessary reforms.
NBS News predicts that it is unlikely that the relevant legislation will be passed in Congress. It would require the consent of Republicans, who have a majority in the House of Representatives. Democrats in the Senate introduced a bill to reform the Supreme Court last year. Republicans blocked work on these changes.
Main image source: WILLIAM PHILPOTT/PAP/EPA