President Biden Proposes Major Supreme Court Reforms in New Plans

This past Monday, President Joe Biden proposed a major set of reforms to be introduced to the Supreme Court, such as term limits and presidential immunity.

After announcing his departure from the upcoming election last week, President Biden introduced a new proposal regarding the Supreme Court of the United States. In the official fact sheet posted to the White House’s website, the proposal is referred to as his “Bold Plan to Reform the Supreme Court and Ensure No President Is Above the Law.”

Biden’s latest proposal comes after sitting down with the Washington Post for its “Post Opinions” category. He believes the “nation was founded on a simple yet profound principle: No one is above the law.” He further adds, “Not the President of the United States. Not a justice on the Supreme Court of the United States.”

Moreover, the president announced his “bold plan” by calling for three major reforms in an attempt to restore trust and accountability in both the government and democracy as a whole. They are as follows:

1. No more immunity for crimes a former president committed while in office
2. Term limits for Supreme Court Justices
3. A binding code of conduct for the Supreme Court

In the press release posted to the official website of The White House, Biden goes into further detail about each reform.

First, he calls for a constitutional amendment that makes it clear no president is above the law or immune from prosecution for crimes committed while in office. The new amendment would be titled “No One Is Above the Law Amendment.” It states, “The Constitution does not confer any immunity from federal criminal indictment, trial, conviction, or sentencing by virtue of previously serving as President.” The Democratic leader believes that the president’s power is limited, not absolute, and should ultimately reside with the people.

Second, the president asserts that term limits should be put in place for Supreme Court Justices. “Congress approved term limits for the Presidency over 75 years ago, and President Biden believes they should do the same for the Supreme Court,” the fact sheet states. The United States is the only major constitutional democracy with lifetime seats to high court Justices, and Biden believes it is time for a change.

“Term limits would help ensure that the Court’s membership changes with some regularity; make timing for Court nominations more predictable and less arbitrary; and reduce the chance that any single Presidency imposes undue influence for generations to come. President Biden supports a system in which the President would appoint a Justice every two years to spend eighteen years in active service on the Supreme Court,” the press release reveals.

Lastly, the third reform calls for a binding code of conduct for the Supreme Court. President Biden believes that Congress should pass a series of ethics rules as well. Those ethics rules consist of requiring Justices to disclose gifts, refrain from public political activity, and recuse themselves from cases in which they or their spouses have financial or other conflicts of interest. He also believes Justices should not be exempt from such conduct “that applies to every other federal judge.”

To learn more about Biden’s latest proposal and call to action, view the full statement.