President Biden criticized “extremist views” on the Supreme Court as he announced major judicial reform proposals during a speech Monday at the LBJ Presidential Library.
“I have great respect for our institutions, for the separation of powers established in our Constitution,” Biden said. “What is happening now is not consistent with the doctrine of separation of powers. Extremism is undermining public confidence in court decisions.”
Biden used his remarks to warn in stark terms about the dangers of an “extreme” and polarized court, arguing that it would undo civil rights protections and grant excessive powers to future presidents.
He cited a series of recent Supreme Court opinions that he said “undermined long-established civil rights principles and protections.” He pointed to the 2013 Shelby County case, which gutted aspects of the Voting Rights Act; the 2022 decision that overturned Roe v. Wade Wade; the 2023 ruling that ended affirmative action; and this year’s decision that granted broad immunity to presidents for official acts carried out during their term of office.
“This nation was founded on the principle that there are no kings in America,” Biden said. “Each of us legally follows the law. No one is above the law. For all practical purposes, the court’s decision almost certainly means that a president can violate his oath, disregard our laws and face no consequences.”
The speech came hours after Biden announced in an op-ed a three-part proposal to reform the Supreme Court. The president called for term limits for judges, a binding code of ethics and a constitutional amendment to counter the recent ruling on presidential immunity for judges. It marked a major shift for the president, who had long resisted calls from the left for reform.
Biden’s speech on Monday also served to mark the 60th anniversary of former President Johnson’s signing into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The event was attended by Johnson’s daughter, Lynda Robb, and many lawmakers Democrats, including Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Rep. Jim Clyburn (D.C.).
During his remarks, Biden delivered some of his most direct condemnations to date of the court’s ethical controversies, describing “obvious conflicts of interest.” Recent scandals include reports that conservative Justice Clarence Thomas accepted luxury trips and gifts from a Republican billionaire and mega-donor, although the controversies have implicated judges from both ideological camps.
Biden said the court “does not police itself” by attacking the court’s code of ethics released in November, with no enforcement mechanism.
“The Supreme Court’s current code of ethics is weak and even more frightening, it is voluntary,” he said.
He also advocated 18-year term limits for judges. Such limits would make appointments more predictable, Biden said, and prevent a single president from drastically reshaping the court, a thinly veiled nod to former President Trump’s appointment of three conservative justices during his four years in office.
“This would help ensure that the country does not have what it has now: an extreme court that is the product of an attack on the confirmation process that is weaponized by those seeking to carry out an extreme agenda in the coming decades,” he said. Biden.
The move is widely seen as a major move to cement Biden’s legacy, after he announced earlier this month that he would not seek re-election. Vice President Harris said Monday that she supported the president’s proposal and, like Biden, the vice president does not support expanding the court, a spokesperson for her campaign told The Hill.
White House officials acknowledged that their reform proposals face a long chance of becoming reality, as they would require action from Congress, but suggested that public support for Supreme Court reform would help create pressure on Congress to act.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Monday called Biden’s proposal “dead on arrival.”
“His thinking died on arrival,” Biden said in his remarks Monday.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
