Trust must be "restored” in the Supreme Court of the United States, wrote Joe Biden in his proposals for reforms in the institution. The American president proposed to introduce a term limit for supreme judges of 18 years. The post is currently for life. "We can and must prevent abuses of presidential power,”, Biden also said. However, his proposed reforms are unlikely to be approved by Congress, where the Democrats do not have a majority.
"No one is above the law”
Biden has criticized Supreme Court decisions such as overturning the Roe v. Wade precedent that guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion in the United States, as well as the weakening of the Voting Rights Act and other decisions that Biden said have undermined the authority of most - the highest court in America.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of former President Donald Trump, ruling that he can enjoy immunity for actions while in office. Now Trump is trying to use this decision to present all the cases against him as wrongful.
Biden pays particular attention to the Supreme Court's decision, which grants almost complete immunity to the President of the United States. "This nation was founded on the principle that there are no kings in America. And everyone is equal before the law. No one is above him”. Now the President of the United States is proposing a constitutional amendment to specify that former presidents do not have guaranteed immunity from indictments, lawsuits and convictions.
What prompted the demand for reform?
There is currently a majority of conservative justices on the Supreme Court, six to three liberal. Three of the conservative justices were appointed during Donald Trump's term.
The court gained worldwide attention in 2022 when it overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Other decisions were made that blocked Biden's decisions on immigration, student loans, mandatory vaccines and climate change. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court significantly reduced the powers of federal agencies. In early July, the court ruled in favor of Republican presidential candidate Trump's immunity claims on the grounds that he is a former president.
The Supreme Court has another problem. Judge Clarence Thomas recently admitted that a Republican donor paid for two luxury vacations for him in 2019. However, Thomas was part of the decisions related to the 2020 election. At the same time, his wife was actively involved in Trump's attempts to declare the election "stolen".
Similar is the case with Judge Samuel Alito, who refused to recuse himself from some cases related to Trump, even though his bias in the case was clear - Alito had placed flags outside his home that represented Trump's claims of " ;the stolen election”.
Is there any way to get the reform accepted?
A poll from August 2023 shows that most Americans support the idea of a Supreme Court term limit. Two-thirds of respondents said they would prefer judges to retire when they reach a certain age.
However, the proposed reforms will meet resistance in Congress. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson called Biden's proposals "over before they started." Trump also said Biden's reform won't go far. However, the American president himself insists that he will "find a way” to achieve his goal.