(Headline USA) President Joe Biden is reportedly planning to endorse sweeping changes to the U.S. Supreme Court, including term limits for justices and an enforceable ethics code, despite having no authority to enact them on co-equal branch of government without passing a constitutional amendment.
The Washington Post is reporting that President Biden is going to cave to the far left in demanding "reforms" of the Supreme Court, including term limits. The political calculus is clear, but the constitutional means may prove more challenging…
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) July 16, 2024
Biden revealed the plan to a select group of Democratic lawmakers, according to a transcript of the call obtained by the Washington Post.
“I’m going to need your help on the Supreme Court, because I’m about to come out—I don’t want to prematurely announce it—but I’m about to come out with a major initiative on limiting the court … I’ve been working with constitutional scholars for the last three months, and I need some help,” Biden reportedly said.
The White House proposal would set term limits for Supreme Court justices, who currently receive lifetime appointments once confirmed by the Senate, as stiuplated by the U.S. Constitution. Other federal judges also receive lifetime appointments.
Biden’s plan reportedly would also force the justices to abide by a congressionally-mandated ethics code. Specifics about the ethical requirements and the kind of term limits Biden is considering are not yet known.
Biden is also considering a constitutional amendment to “eliminate broad immunity for presidents and other constitutional officeholders,” according to the report.
The amendment would be a direct response to the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that former President Donald Trump could not be prosecuted for actions that were within his constitutional powers as president.
Biden’s Supreme Court proposal would be a significant departure from his previous stance toward the judicial branch. Though others in his party have been railing against the Supreme Court for the past few years, Biden had, thus far, declined to endorse their proposed reforms, including a recent Senate bill that would have imposed an ethics code onto the justices.
Former President Donald Trump blasted Biden’s about-face, calling Biden’s proposed reforms “unconstitutional,” “illegal,” and a sign that Biden knows he’s going to lose reelection in November.
“The Radical Left Democrats are desperately trying to ‘Play the Ref’ by calling for an illegal and unConstitutional attack on our SACRED United States Supreme Court. The reason that these Communists are so despondent is that their unLawful Witch Hunts are failing everywhere,” Trump wrote Wednesday on Truth Social.
“The Democrats are attempting to interfere in the Presidential Election, and destroy our Justice System, by attacking their Political Opponent, ME, and our Honorable Supreme Court,” he continued. “We have to fight for our Fair and Independent Courts, and protect our Country. MAGA2024!”
