President Joe Biden is set to propose term limits for Supreme Court justices and a new code of ethics amidst ongoing controversies and calls for judicial reform.
President Joe Biden plans to propose significant changes to the Supreme Court, including implementing term limits for justices and establishing an enforceable code of ethics. This comes at a time when the court faces scandals, controversial rulings, and concerns over the influence of justices' personal politics.
According to sources from The Washington Post, the president is considering a new constitutional amendment to eliminate broad immunity for presidents and other officeholders, following a ruling related to Donald Trump’s federal election interference case.
Biden revealed his plans during a Zoom call with the Congressional Progressive Caucus on Saturday.
“I’m going to need your help on the Supreme Court… I’m about to come out with a major initiative on limiting the court,” Biden told the House lawmakers, according to a transcript of the call obtained by The Post.
The proposed changes to the nation’s highest court follow a series of controversial rulings that have overturned decades of legal precedent.
In a landmark decision in 2022, the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade, eliminating the constitutional right to abortion care. This caused a massive uprising across America due to the ruling in 2022 by the Supreme Court.
Previously, Biden resisted calls to reform the court, including proposals to increase the number of justices to balance the conservative-liberal ratio.
Currently, the court has a 6-3 conservative majority, with three justices appointed by Trump. The appointment of Amy Coney Barrett, especially contentious, occurred in the final days of Trump’s presidency.
While Biden’s proposed reforms do not include expanding the court, his move to implement changes comes as he seeks to regain confidence from his party following a poor debate performance last month as well as an increase in support for Trump after the assasination attempt.
