President Biden is getting ready to propose significant reforms to the U.S. Supreme Court, including term limits and an enforced code of ethics for its justices.Biden is eyeing big Changes for the Supreme Court .
The plans are unlikely because, given the current political environment, either a constitutional amendment or congressional action—two paths that would probably be required—are nearly unfeasible. However, Biden has changed his mind on the plans, as he had previously opposed any modifications to the court.
Biden is eyeing big Changes for the Supreme Court But he needs Congress to make themSince Biden’s plans are still in the early stages, two people who spoke on condition of anonymity affirmed the recommendations, which were initially published by the Washington Post. One of the sources stated that it might take a few weeks for them to be implemented.
According to Gabe Roth, executive director of Fix the Courts, an organization that promotes Supreme Court reform, “the vast majority of the country, regardless of party, believes the justices should not serve for life but rather they should be subject to basic oversight like Congress and the executive are.”
High court justices are appointed for life and are free to choose whether or not to follow the court’s recently enacted ethical guidelines. The court’s scrutiny has increased due to controversies involving Justice Samuel Alito, whose wife flew two flags linked to the far-right movement sympathetic to former President Donald Trump, and Justice Clarence Thomas, who accepted gifts and free vacations from a conservative megadonor.
Biden has been pressed on this issue by progressives
As stated by the executive director of Fix the Courts, a group that advocates for changes to the Supreme Court, “the vast majority of the country, regardless of party, believes the justices should not serve for life but rather they should be subject to basic oversight like Congress and the executive are.”
Justices of the high court are appointed for life and have the discretion to abide by the court’s newly established ethical standards. The court has come under more scrutiny as a result of scandals involving Justice Clarence Thomas, who accepted gifts and free vacations from a conservative megadonor, and Justice Samuel Alito, whose wife flew two flags associated with the far-right movement that supports former President Donald Trump.But that trip — timed to mark the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act — was postponed after the attempted assassination of Trump.
He has made the court a bigger part of his campaign message
Biden is eyeing big forewarned that two more judges would probably retire in the ensuing four years during a Tuesday interview that was recorded for BET News. “Imagine what that means for eternity if he has two more appointments on that,” Biden stated in network-released quotes.
On the court, conservatives have a 6-3 majority. Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett were the three judges Trump nominated to the court, solidifying the conservative majority.
At a star-studded fundraiser in Los Angeles on June 15, Biden referred to a recent report about Justice Alito, whose wife raised an upside-down U.S. flag outside their home after some Trump supporters carried upside-down flags at the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.
“The idea that if he (Trump) is reelected, he can appoint two more, flying flags upside down…” Biden said, adding that it would be “one of the scariest parts” of a second Trump term. He also told a campaign rally in May that he would name “progressive judges” to fill vacancies.
In 2021, soon after he was inaugurated, Biden set up a presidential commission on the Supreme Court, keeping a campaign promise he made when repeatedly pressed on whether he would expand the Supreme Court to pack it with justices more aligned with his worldview. Candidate Biden said he opposed expanding the court but said he favored the kind of bipartisan commission that the White House set up.
In December of that year, the panel – comprising legal éminence grise – issued a report that said Congress has the power to enlarge the court, but the panel took no position on doing so. On term limits, it appeared to suggest that a constitutional amendment was likely necessary, and pointed to the practical difficulties of implementing term limits at the same time that there are sitting justices with life terms on the court.
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