Biden seriously considering proposals on Supreme Court term limits, ethics code, AP sources say

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses President Joe Biden's consideration of proposals to establish term limits for U.S. Supreme Court justices and an enforceable ethics code, amid growing concerns about the lack of accountability for the justices. The proposals would require congressional approval, which is unlikely given the divided Congress. The article also mentions Biden's potential call for a constitutional amendment to eliminate the broad immunity for presidents granted by the court.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Biden's Proposals for Supreme Court Reform

1. What are the key proposals Biden is considering for Supreme Court reform?

• Establishing term limits for U.S. Supreme Court justices
• Implementing an enforceable ethics code for the Supreme Court
• Calling for a constitutional amendment to eliminate the broad immunity for presidents granted by the court

2. What is the rationale behind these proposals?

• Growing concerns that the Supreme Court justices are not held accountable
• Outrage among Democrats over recent Supreme Court decisions that overturned landmark rulings on abortion rights and federal regulatory powers

3. What are the challenges in implementing these proposals?

• The proposals would require congressional approval, which is unlikely given the divided Congress
• Any changes to the Supreme Court would face significant opposition from Republicans, who have focused on remaking the federal judiciary and Supreme Court

[02] Public Perception of the Supreme Court

1. What is the public's view on the Supreme Court?

• About 2 in 3 Americans favor term limits or a mandatory retirement age for Supreme Court justices
• 4 in 10 U.S. adults say they have hardly any confidence in the people running the Supreme Court
• 7 in 10 Americans think the Supreme Court's justices are more influenced by ideology than being fair and impartial

2. How has the public's perception of the Supreme Court changed?

• There has been growing outrage among Democrats over the Supreme Court's recent decisions, which have overturned landmark rulings
• The public's confidence in the Supreme Court has remained low, with concerns about the court's ideological leanings and lack of accountability

[03] Republican Efforts to Reshape the Federal Judiciary

1. What have been the Republican efforts to reshape the federal judiciary and Supreme Court?

• When Mitch McConnell was the Senate majority leader, he refused to even meet with Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland
• Republicans backed Trump because of his pledge to name as many judges to the bench as possible, which resulted in Trump appointing three Supreme Court justices and 54 federal appeals court judges

2. How have these efforts impacted the composition of the courts?

• The Republican efforts have reshaped the courts for a generation, with the conservative-leaning Supreme Court now overturning landmark decisions

3. How have Democrats responded to the Republican efforts?

• Democrats are now understanding the power of judges as a voting tool, and Biden has made judicial nominations a priority, appointing a record number of judges for a president at this point in his first term
• However, Democrats have pushed Biden to go further in addressing the imbalance in the courts