US President Joe Biden has proposed significant reforms for the US Supreme Court, including term limits and an enforceable ethics code for the justices. He also calls for a constitutional amendment to limit presidential immunity, AP News reports.
The proposal includes ending lifetime appointments, with justices serving 18-year terms, and implementing a code of ethics requiring disclosure of gifts, refrain from political activities, and recuse themselves in cases of conflicts of interest. Additionally, Biden seeks a constitutional amendment to reverse the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity.
Biden’s proposal aims to address a perceived crisis of confidence in the court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, and growing Democratic outrage over the Court’s recent decisions on abortion rights, federal regulatory powers, and revelations of potentially questionable relationships among conservative justices.
This proposal, announced 99 days before the election, is unlikely to pass in a closely divided Congress but aims to galvanize voters. Vice President Kamala Harris supports the reforms, framing it as necessary to restore confidence in the court.
