Joe Biden is reportedly preparing a slate of proposed “reforms” of Supreme Court in an apparent bid for more support from the Democratic base ahead of the November election, despite the fact that such changes will face prohibitive resistance from lawmakers in Congress.
Biden “is seriously considering proposals to establish term limits for U.S. Supreme Court justices, and an ethics code that would be enforceable under law,” the Associated Press (AP) reported July 16, citing unidentified officials.
The three people who reportedly were informed of the plans were not authorized to publicly speak about the ideas that are only in development, and they only spoke to the AP on the condition that they could remain anonymous, the AP’s article said.
Biden has become more and more outspoken about his belief that the Supreme Court is no longer following a “mainstream constitutional interpretation,” and former President Donald Trump is “bragging” about how he put three justices on the court who helped overturn Roe vs. Wade, according to the article.
Biden may wish to demand a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision to provide presidents with immunity, the AP reported. Many members of the Democratic Party are angry that the Supreme Court reversed the decisions in the Roe vs Wade and Chevron cases, and there are concerns about some justices’ ethics.
All justices agreed to the adoption of a code of conduct in November 2023, for the first time, but compliance appears to be up to justices’ discretion, AP reported that month.
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The Washington Post reported that it received a transcript of a call Biden had with the Congressional Progressive Caucus in which Biden reportedly said he wanted help with the Supreme Court.
“I don’t want to prematurely announce it, but I’m about to come out with a major initiative on limiting the court and what we do and — I’ve been working with constitutional scholars for the last three months, and I need some help,” he said, according to the transcript, The Washington Post article said.
According to AP’s July 16 article, Trump responded in a Truth Social post that with the proposals, “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. We have to fight for our Fair and Independent Courts, and protect our Country.”
First Liberty Institute Chief Counsel, president and CEO Kelly Shackelford said in a statement that “transforming the Supreme Court into another partisan body would destroy the independence of the judiciary and threaten the civil liberties of all Americans.”
She noted that Biden once said changing the Supreme Court’s structure was foolish and would “put in question … the independence of the … Supreme Court.”
“He was right,” Shackelford said. “The last thing we need in this country right now is a Supreme Court coup that would threaten judicial independence and our democratic republic. This is a radical attempt by a desperate politician.”
Shackelford cited a June 2023 poll from First Liberty, a law firm dedicated to religious liberty, that indicated 72% of Americans “believe that the politicization of the Supreme Court threatens judicial independence” and 69% don’t want Congress to set rules for judicial ethics.
In its July 16 article, AP reported the results of a June 2024 poll that indicated 40% of U.S. adults “have hardly any confidence in the people running the Supreme Court,” 70% believe justices “are more influenced by ideology” and 30% believe justices “are more likely to provide an independent check on other branches of government by being fair and impartial.”
LifeNews Note: Mary Stroka writes for CatholicVote, a pro-life group.
