In a surprising turn of events, President Joe Biden is set to propose significant reforms to the U.S. Constitution, focusing on the Supreme Court.
According to Fox News, this initiative is driven by recent Supreme Court decisions that have expanded presidential immunity and eroded civil liberties.
The proposed amendments are multifaceted. They aim to establish term limits for Supreme Court justices and introduce a strict code of ethics upon them. This dramatic shift in policy arrives after Biden decided not to seek re-election, turning his focus towards solidifying his legacy in defending democratic values.
The catalyst for these reforms was a recent ruling that extended immunity from prosecution to former presidents for acts committed while in office. Critics argue that this could shield perpetrators from accountability and diminish the rule of law in America.
President Biden also emphasized the urgency of these reforms in a national address. He delineated how these changes are essential for the maintenance and enhancement of democracy and societal principles.
President Biden’s stance has evolved significantly over his term. Originally not a proponent of judicial reform, the recent legal trends and Supreme Court rulings have prompted a stark reevaluation of his perspective. This pivot was partly instigated by a marked decline in his approval ratings following a pivotal debate in June, which colored public and internal party perceptions of his leadership.
He outlined the significance of his remaining time in office in an Oval Office address on July 24, 2024. Declaring his non-candidacy in the next elections, Biden detailed the priorities he plans to address during his remaining tenure.
President Biden expressed:
Over the next six months, I’ll be focused on doing my job as president. That means I’ll continue to lower costs for hard-working families, grow our economy. I’ll keep defending our personal freedoms and our civil rights, from the right to vote to the right to choose. I’ll keep calling out hate and extremism, make it clear there is no place, no place in America for political violence or any violence ever, period. I’m going to keep speaking out to protect our kids from gun violence, our planet from climate crisis, is the existential threat. And I will keep fighting for my cancer moonshot, so we can end cancer as we know it because we can do it. And I’m going to call for Supreme Court reform because this is critical to our democracy, Supreme Court reform. You know, I will keep working to ensure America remains strong and secure and the leader of the free world.
Amending the Constitution is no small feat. These significant judicial reforms will require approval by a two-thirds majority in both the House and the Senate and must be ratified by 38 out of the 50 states. Given the complexity and the substantial opposition they are likely to attract, these proposals mark a major undertaking for the Biden administration.
Furthermore, these proposals are currently in their preliminary stages and could undergo various modifications as they are debated in Congress and among the public.
In summary, President Biden’s agenda sets a bold course for his final months in office, focusing on overhauling the Supreme Court to safeguard democracy and civil rights. Despite the challenges associated with such constitutional amendments, the commitment to restructure the judiciary reflects an acute response to recent judicial actions and a deteriorating public trust in the fairness and accountability of the U.S. government's executive and judicial branches.
