.png)
1 month ago
6 ARTICLE AD
President Joe Biden will unveil a series of proposals later today to reform the Supreme Court, including term limits and a code of conduct for justices, while calling for a constitutional amendment to limit presidential immunity.
Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed the proposals, saying in a statement, “These popular reforms will help to restore confidence in the Court, strengthen our democracy, and ensure no one is above the law.”
Biden will outline the proposals in a speech at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, TX, this afternoon.
The proposal calls for limiting justices to 18 years on the court, with the president appointing members every two years.
The code of conduct would require that justices disclose gifts, refrain from political activity and “recuse themselves from cases in which they or their spouses have financial or other conflicts of interest.” It comes amid bombshell stories on Clarence Thomas’ lack of disclosure of trips he has taken that were paid for by conservative figures with an interest on court decisions. There also have been focus on the political activity of Thomas’ wife, Ginny, as well as the wife of Justice Samuel Alito, Martha-Ann.
Biden also is calling for a constitutional amendment, the No One Is Above the Law Amendment, that will “state that the Constitution does not confer immunity from federal criminal indictment, trial, conviction, or sentencing by virtue of previously serving as president.” The proposed amendment is in response to the court’s ruling last month that Donald Trump may have immunity from prosecution for some of his conduct in his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
In an op ed in The Washington Post, Biden wrote, “I served as a U.S. senator for 36 years, including as chairman and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee. I have overseen more Supreme Court nominations as senator, vice president and president than anyone living today. I have great respect for our institutions and separation of powers. 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.”
