Biden Proposes Supreme Court Term Limits, Ethics Code
US President Joe Biden has unveiled plans for Supreme Court reforms, calling on Congress to replace lifetime appointments with term limits for the nine judges and to enforce an ethics code.
The White House detailed the proposals, which appear to have little chance of approval by a closely divided Congress before November’s presidential election.
Nonetheless, the administration aims to tap into growing Democratic outrage at the court’s conservative majority overturning long-standing decisions on abortion rights and federal regulatory powers.
“I have great respect for our institutions and separation of powers,” Biden wrote in a Washington Post opinion article. “What is happening now is not normal and it undermines the public’s confidence in the court’s decisions, including those impacting personal freedoms.”
Vice President Kamala Harris issued a statement supporting the proposed reforms, saying they would “restore confidence in the court, strengthen our democracy, and ensure no one is above the law.”
Biden’s plan includes appointing a judge every two years to serve for 18 years and establishing a code of ethics requiring justices to disclose gifts, refrain from public political activity, and recuse themselves from cases with conflicts of interest.
Additionally, Biden is urging Congress to pass a constitutional amendment reversing the court’s recent ruling that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution, a decision that delays the criminal case against Donald Trump, the Republican candidate in the upcoming election.
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