President Biden wants to reform the Supreme Court, limit the mandate of the members

2024-07-29 17:10:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

President Biden wants to reform the Supreme Court, limit the mandate of the

President Joe Biden made public a proposal for changes to the Supreme Court, where Congress is called upon to set limits on the mandate of 9 members of the court, and to adopt a code of ethics for them.

Mr. Biden is also pushing lawmakers to pass a constitutional amendment that would limit presidential immunity.

The plan was released Monday by the White House, but it appears unlikely to pass in Congress, where the balance between the majority and the minority is tight and with only 99 days left until the election.

Still, Democrats hope it will help draw voters' attention as they assess who they will vote for on Nov. 5, with polls showing the race will be close.

Presumptive Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris says her race against former Republican President Donald Trump is "a choice between freedom and chaos."

The White House is trying to capitalize on growing anger among Democrats about the court, which has a conservative 6-out-of-9 majority.

In recent years, the court has made decisions that have overturned its historic decisions, such as the one on women's right to abortion, which has been in force for decades.

Liberals have also expressed concern about decisions made by some members of the court's conservative wing, which suggest their impartiality has been compromised.

" I have great respect for our institutions and the separation of powers ," says President Biden in an opinion piece expected to be published in the Washington Post newspaper.

" What is currently happening is not normal and undermines public confidence in court decisions, including those that affect personal liberties ," he added.

The president is expected to discuss his proposal later in the day, during a speech at the Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, to mark the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act.

Mr. Biden is calling for limiting the lifetime tenure currently enjoyed by members of the Supreme Court.

He says Congress should pass a law to create a system in which the sitting president would appoint a member of the Supreme Court every two years for an 18-year term.

He reasons that the limitations on the mandate of the members of the court would cause the composition of the institution to change with some regularity, establishing a system of predictability in the appointment process.

Mr. Biden also wants Congress to pass a law establishing a code of ethics for members of the court that would require them to disclose gifts, not engage in public political activities, and to recuse themselves from judging those cases. for which they or their spouses have conflicts of interest.

President Biden is calling on Congress to pass a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's recent landmark decision that granted former presidents broad immunity from prosecution.

The decision further extended the trial of the criminal case filed by a federal court in Washington against former President Trump on charges of conspiracy to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. The decision also ruled out the possibility of the former president being tried on this case, before the November elections.

The last time Congress passed a constitutional amendment was 32 years ago. It is about the 27th amendment, ratified in 1992, which is related to the salary of the members of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Former President Trump has condemned judicial reform, describing it as a desperate attempt by Democrats to play the "role of arbitrator".

"Democrats are trying to interfere in the presidential election and destroy our justice system by attacking their political opponent and our honorable Supreme Court. We must fight for our courts to be fair, independent, and to protect our country," he wrote on his social media page "Truth Social" earlier this month.

More and more questions have been raised about the ethics of the court, following revelations linked to some of its members, including Justice Clarence Thomas, who took several luxury trips paid for by a Republican megadonor.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, an appointee of President Obama's administration, has faced intense scrutiny after reports that her aides often pushed public institutions to buy copies of her books.

Justice Samuel Alito rejected calls to recuse himself from ruling on cases the Supreme Court was handling, involving Mr. Trump and defendants charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, after criticism over the placement in his home of flags believed to suggest support for those who attacked the Capitol.

Mr. Alito says the flags were placed by his wife.

At the time, Mr. Trump congratulated Justice Alito on his social media page, writing that he had shown intelligence and courage in refusing to recuse himself from cases.

"All American judges and leaders should show such courage," he wrote.

Democrats say Mr. Biden's proposals will spotlight recent Supreme Court decisions, including the 2022 ruling that stripped women of constitutional protections for abortions.

The decision was made by a conservative majority, including three judges appointed by Mr. Trump.

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said in an interview on Sunday for the "CNN" television network that the push for this reform aims to remind Americans that "in November they are also voting for the Supreme Court."

She added that "this is a good reason to vote for Kamala Harris and to vote for the Democrats, both in the Senate and in the House of Representatives."

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham criticized Democrats for not complaining when the more liberal-leaning court "made decisions they liked."

" Only now that we have restored the constitutional balance does the court pose a threat to the country ," Mr. Graham told the CBS television network on Sunday.

The reform announcement marks a major change in the attitude of President Biden, who, while still running for re-election, was wary of calls to reform the Supreme Court.

But during his presidency, he has been increasingly vocal in his position that the court has abandoned the traditional interpretation of the Constitution.

Last week, during a speech in the Oval Office, he announced that he would propose the reform during his last months in office, calling it "vital for the country's democracy."

In 2020, when she ran unsuccessfully for president for the first time in the race within the Democratic Party, Ms. Harris was open about the possibility of increasing the number of members of the court, from the current nine.

But during her October 2020 debate in front of Vice President Mike Pence, Ms. Harris dodged questions about her stance on the issue.

The proposals presented by Mr. Biden do not include such a thing, and Mr. Biden himself has viewed the issue of increasing the number of court members with skepticism.

Officials of Ms. Harris's campaign and aides to the vice president did not respond to questions about Ms. Harris's involvement in drafting Mr. Biden's proposal, and whether she would make changes related to judicial reform if elected on Nov. 5.

The White House said in a statement that "Biden and Vice President Harris look forward to working with Congress and empowering the American people to prevent abuse of presidential power, restore confidence in the Supreme Court, and strengthen the safeguards of democracy." "./ VOA