U.S. President Joe Biden has announced plans for urgent reforms to the conservative-dominated Supreme Court, in a bold but long-shot move as he seeks to make a mark in his last six months in power.
The 81-year-old Democrat is calling for a constitutional amendment to reverse the Supreme Court’s recent ruling backing Donald Trump’s claims of presidential immunity, according to the White House.
The Democrat is also calling for term limits for Supreme Court justices, who currently serve for life, following shock rulings such as the repeal of the nationwide right to abortion.
Biden, who will further unveil the plans in a speech in Austin, Texas later Monday, will also seek an enforceable ethics code after a string of scandals.
He had confirmed he would seek the reforms during an Oval Office address last week outlining his priorities after deciding to drop out of the 2024 election, though the plans have almost no hope of getting through a deeply divided Congress.
“This nation was founded on a simple yet profound principle: No one is above the law. Not the president of the United States. Not a justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. No one,” Biden said in an opinion piece published Monday.
“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.”
Though their chances are slim, the proposed reforms reflect Biden’s growing frustration with a court packed with Trump-appointed judges, and come as opinion polls show a growing loss of public confidence in the institution.
The White House said that both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, now the presumptive Democratic nominee for November’s election, “look forward to working with Congress” on the plans.
Biden had previously resisted calls to overhaul or reform the court of nine lifetime-appointed justices.
But the White House said Biden would now seek 18-year term limits on Supreme Court justices, with new justices being appointed every two years.
