US President Joe Biden has unveiled proposals to reform the Supreme Court, calling on Congress to impose term limits on justices and and impose new ethics rules.
Biden outlined his plans for the conservative-led Supreme Court in an opinion piece on Monday, saying they are needed to “restore trust and accountability to the court and our democracy”.
The reforms, which would require approval by Congress, include limiting the tenure of Supreme Court justices to 18 years and enacting a more stringent code of ethics for them that is akin to that which governs federal judges.
In addition, Biden is pushing for a constitutional amendment that would overturn the recent decision by the Supreme Court supporting Donald Trump’s claims to presidential immunity.
The announcement marks a significant evolution for Biden, who as a candidate had been wary of calls to reform the high court.
The proposals are an unlikely bid by the 81-year-old president, who will not run for re-election, to leave his mark on the US’s judicial system in his last days in office.
