AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — President Joe Biden The US Supreme Court on Monday said the “extremism” undermined public confidence in the agency and called on Congress to quickly institute term limits. Enforceable Code of Ethics For the nine judges of the court. He also called on lawmakers to approve a constitutional amendment limiting presidential impeachment.
Biden, less than six months into his presidency, outlined the contours of his court proposal. An address at the LBJ Presidential Library In Austin, Texas, he marked the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. His calls for dramatic changes to the court, with 99 days to go, are unlikely to be approved by a closely divided Congress. Election day.
Still, Democrats hope it will help center voters considering their options in a tight election. Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris has been trying to build her race against former Republican President Donald Trump. “A Choice Between Freedom and Chaos” Biden quickly endorsed the proposal.
“Extremism undermines public confidence in the court’s decisions,” Biden said. He said that abuse of power by the President can be curbed and confidence in the Supreme Court can be restored.
The White House is tapping into growing anger among Democrats about the court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority. Canceled major decisions Abortion rights and Federal Regulatory Powers It stood for decades.
Liberals have also expressed dismay at revelations about what they say are questionable relationships and decisions by some members of the court’s conservative wing, which they say compromises their impartiality.
Biden pointed to the 2013 Supreme Court decision that struck down the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the 2022 Roe v. Wade and the repeal of abortion rights and the end of 2023 are three prominent examples of affirmative action “opting out” college admissions programs. He called the decisions “disastrous” that shook Americans’ faith in the Supreme Court.
Harris, in a statement, said reforms should be proposed because “there is a clear crisis of confidence facing the Supreme Court.”
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson called the proposal a “dangerous gamble” that would “die on the floor.”
In a brief exchange with reporters ahead of his speech, Biden brushed off Johnson’s declaration that the plan was going nowhere. “I think he is what he is — dead on arrival,” Biden offered. He said he would “find a way” to do it.
Biden calls on the court to eliminate lifetime appointments. He says Congress should pass legislation to establish a system in which a sitting president appoints a judge every two years to serve 18 years on the court. He argues that term limits will help ensure that members of the court are replaced with some regularity and “reduce the chance that any president will impose undue influence on future generations.”
He also wants Congress to pass legislation establishing court ethics requiring judges to disclose gifts, stay out of public political activities and recuse themselves from cases involving financial or other conflicts of interest for themselves or their spouses.
Biden is calling on Congress to pass a constitutional amendment that would reverse the Supreme Court’s latest Key Immunity Judgment It held that former presidents enjoy broad immunity from prosecution.
The decision extended the delay in the Washington criminal case against Trump Plotted to defeat 2020 presidential election All but the possibility that the former president could be tried before the November election has ended.
“This nation was founded on the principle that America has no kings,” Biden said. “Every one of us is equal before the law. No one is above the law. For all practical purposes, the court’s decision certainly means the president can violate his oath of office, violate our laws, and face no consequences.
Most Americans support an age limit for Supreme Court justices AP-NORC poll from August 2023. Two-thirds of Supreme Court judges wanted to retire by a certain age. Democrats favor a mandatory retirement age 77% to 61% over Republicans. Americans agree on a preference for age limits—those 60 and older are as likely as any other age group to support this limit for Supreme Court justices.
The top three justices affected by term limits are on the right. Justice Clarence Thomas has been on the court for nearly 33 years. Chief Justice John Roberts served for 19 years and Justice Samuel Alito for 18 years.
Supreme Court justices served an average of about 17 years since its founding in 1970, said Gabe Roth, executive director of the group Fix the Court. Since 1970, the average is about 28 years. Both conservative and liberal politicians have emphasized term limits.
Meanwhile, an enforcement mechanism for the high court’s ethics could bring Supreme Court justices more in line with other federal judges, who are subject to a disciplinary system in which anyone can complain and have it reconsidered. An investigation will result in censure and censure. Last week, Justice Elena Kagan A public call was made to develop a way to implement the new Code of EthicsHe was the first judge to do so.
It was 32 years ago that the Congress approved the Constitutional Amendment. The 27th Amendment, ratified in 1992, says Congress can pass a bill to change the pay for members of the House and Senate, but no such change can take effect until elections are held for the House next November.
Trump has dismissed court reform as a desperate effort by Democrats.
“Democrats are trying to interfere in the presidential election and destroy our justice system by attacking their political enemy ME and our honorable Supreme Court. We must fight for our fair and independent courts and protect our country,” Trump wrote on his Truth Community site this month. posted
Questions surrounding the court’s ethics are mounting after revelations about some of its judges, including Thomas accepted luxury trips From a GOP megadonor.
Judge Sonia Sotomayor, an Obama administration appointee, has faced scrutiny following revelations that her staff fueled public institutions that frequented her. Buy copies of her memoir or children’s books.
Trump and Jan. 6, 2021, Trump and Jan. 6, 2021 Alito rejected calls to recuse himself from Supreme Court cases involving rebel defendants, despite provocative flags displayed at his homes, some believe to be sympathetic to those facing charges of attacking the U.S. Capitol to keep Trump in power. . Alito says the flags were pointed out by his wife.
“These scandals involving judges have caused public opinion to question the fairness and independence of the court, which are essentially essential to carrying out its mission of equal justice under the law,” Biden said.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell pushed back, saying Biden’s proposal was to carry a “torch” to “the crown of our system of government.”
“President Biden and his left-wing allies don’t like the current system of the court, so they want to shred the Constitution to replace it,” McConnell said.
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Madani said from Washington. Associated Press writers Mark Sherman, Seung Min Kim, Amelia Thompson Devex, Lindsey Whitehurst and Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.
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