President Joe Biden announced early last week that he will not seek a second term in office. The decision shook the world as his Vice President, Kamala Harris, took the spotlight as the potential Democratic nominee.
Now, insiders believe that Biden will try to push through some big changes in his last few months in office. Today, he unveiled a decision to overhaul how the Supreme Court operates and end criminal immunity for ex-presidents.
What Changes Is He Proposing?
Some of the massive changes that Biden has proposed are introducing term limits for justices, creating a binding ethics code, and dismantling the recent rule that allowed an ex-president to be immune from criminal charges while in office.
Biden made this decision in response to numerous controversial rulings and scandals that have plagued the powerful court.
The Three-Prong Proposal
On Monday morning, Biden unveiled his “bold plan” to “restore trust and accountability” in the nation’s highest court that is mired in a crisis of ethics.”
The three-prong proposal will overhaul some of the recent issues posed by lifelong positions. Several of the justices currently sitting were appointed by former President Donald Trump and have been accused of having their votes bought.
Term Limits
One of the largest changes proposed is term limits for Supreme Court justices. The new system would allow a president to appoint a justice every two years to spend a maximum of 18 years on the court.
Biden has pointed out that Congress approved term limits for the president more than 75 years ago, but nothing exists for the country’s most powerful court.
A New Code of Ethics
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The new proposal will also include a “common sense” binding, enforceable code of conduct and ethics that means justices must disclose gifts from any donors and what their political affiliations are. In recent years, Justice Clarence Thomas has been under scrutiny for accepting cash, luxury vacations, and even houses from high-profile businessmen and politicians.
The approach will also change how justices participate in public political activity and recuse themselves from cases where they or their spouses have financial conflicts of interest.
Changes in Presidential Immunity
The third prong of the approach is to create a constitutional amendment declaring that presidents cannot have criminal immunity from prosecution for crimes committed while in office.
The “No One Is Above the Law Amendment” directly responds to the court’s rule that allowed Donald Trump to have immunity from his “official acts” taken while in office.
No One Is Above the Law
Biden wrote in a statement that, “This nation was founded on a simple yet profound principle: No one is above the law. Not the president of the United States. Not a justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. No one.”
“And that’s only the beginning,” he warned, adding that the US is “a nation of laws — not of kings or dictators.” The changes echo concern that a second Trump presidency could mean unfettered power in the hands of a person lacking a clear code of ethics.
Prevent Presidential Abuse of Power
In the statement, Biden concluded, “We can and must prevent the abuse of presidential power. We can and must restore the public’s faith in the Supreme Court. We can and must strengthen the guardrails of democracy. In America, no one is above the law. In America, the people rule.”
This is the reason why a president should not be able to commit criminal acts while representing the office of the President of the United States.
Kamala Harris Pledged Her Support
Kamala Harris immediately took the front spot as the potential Democratic nominee.
One of her promises to Biden is to uphold the new measures, saying in a statement that these reforms “will help to restore confidence in the Court, strengthen our democracy, and ensure no one is above the law.”
Conflicts of Interest
Questions have recently emerged about whether several justices hear cases in which they have a direct position of interest. One of the main reasons for the overhaul is to stop a justice from presiding over a case that they could potentially financially benefit from.
Justice Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito have refused to recuse themselves from two cases involving the January 6 Capitol riot.
More Damning Evidence
It was proven that Alito flew the same flags seen at the Capitol on January 6 on the lawn outside of his homes in Virginia and New Jersey following the insurrection.
Meanwhile, Clarence Thomas’s wife Ginny was involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Donald Trump’s favor. Texts prove that she urged Arizona officials to reverse Biden’s win in the state.
Approval Rating Has Plummeted
With the growing number of scandals, the approval rating for the Supreme Court has never been lower.
Most residents also think that the court lacks ethics and the ability to do its job without bias. The changes proposed by President Biden might just make the court more ethical and more effective.
