President Joe Biden has quietly resisted calls to reform the Supreme Court during his first term, but a new report from the Associated Press indicates he's preparing to change that in his 2nd term.
With all of the lawlessness on display from justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito--both of whom have had Articles of Impeachment filed against them by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)--President Biden is said to be considering seriously proposals to establish term limits for U.S. Supreme Court justices, as well as an ethics code that would be enforceable under law.
The President has been listening to growing concerns from Congressional Democrats, as well as voters, that the justices are not held accountable, according to the AP.
President Biden is also said to be considering the establishment of a new Constitutional amendment written to eliminate the broad immunity for presidents granted by the court in its final decision of their session.
Convicted felon adjudicated rapist Donald Trump had already claimed he was immune from prosecution for his actions on January 6th when a mob of his supporters violently attacked the U.S. Capitol. His lawyers also used the immunity ruling in their attempt to overturn his 34 felony convictions in New York. He is still scheduled to be sentenced on September 18th.
President Biden spoke to the Congressional Progressive Caucus on a call over the weekend where the SCOTUS changes were discussed.
“I’m going to need your help on the Supreme Court, because...I don’t want to prematurely announce it, but I’m about to come out with a major initiative on limiting the Court ,” he said, according to a transcript of the call.
President Biden also mentioned the potential changes to the Court during an interview on BET airing Wednesday night, tying the decision to reproductive rights and other issues impacting Americans.
Predicting “there are probably going to be two more appointments” in the coming four years when justices retire, President Biden blamed Trump for nominating three conservative justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade. “Just imagine if he has two more appointments, what that means,” he said.