President Biden will announce a bold plan for Supreme Court reform that includes term limits for Supreme Court justices and no immunity for crimes that an ex-president committed while in office.
What Is In Biden’s Supreme Court Reform Plan?
According to a White House fact sheet provided to PoliticusUSA:
No Immunity for Crimes a Former President Committed in Office: President Biden shares the Founders’ belief that the President’s power is limited—not absolute—and must ultimately reside with the people. He is calling for a constitutional amendment that makes clear no President is above the law or immune from prosecution for crimes committed while in office. This No One Is Above the Law Amendment will state that the Constitution does not confer any immunity from federal criminal indictment, trial, conviction, or sentencing by virtue of previously serving as President.
Term Limits 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 United States is the only major constitutional democracy that gives lifetime seats to its high court Justices. 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.
Binding Code of Conduct for the Supreme Court: President Biden believes that Congress should pass binding, enforceable conduct and ethics rules that require 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. Supreme Court Justices should not be exempt from the enforceable code of conduct that applies to every other federal judge.
Biden: No One Is Above The Law
The President wrote in an op-ed, “I served as a U.S. senator for 36 years, including as chairman and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee. I have overseen more Supreme Court nominations as senator, vice president and president than anyone living today. I have great respect for our institutions and separation of powers. What is happening now is not normal, and it undermines the public’s confidence in the court’s decisions, including those impacting personal freedoms. We now stand in a breach.”
The plan will not pass before Biden leaves office, but it is an important development because it will be endorsed by VP Harris. If Democrats win the 2024 election, the plan could serve as a blueprint for Supreme Court reform.
President Biden is leaving office in less than six months, but he is continuing to work for the American people. Supreme Court reform is vital to the future of American democracy. No one can ever be above the law in the American system, and Joe Biden is laying out a path for Democrats to follow to make sure that power stays with the people.
