- Author, Christal Hayes and Anthony Zurcher
- Role, BBC News
Joe Biden is considering backing a host of reforms to the US Supreme Court including ending lifetime appointments, according to US media.
Backing such changes would mark a major reversal for the Democratic president. It comes after the high court made a series of decisions including the removal of the federal right to abortion and a ruling that gave Donald Trump immunity from prosecution for “official acts” as president.
CBS News, the BBC’s partner in the US, reported that Mr Biden was examining establishing term limits for justices, which are currently lifetime appointments, and bolstering the court’s ethics code.
However, changes would be difficult to pass in a divided Congress.
Over the weekend, Mr Biden told Democrats on a call that he was working with experts on supreme court reforms that would be announced soon, a source familiar with the call told CBS News.
Mr Biden did not elaborate on the call with the Congressional Progressive Caucus about the proposal.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to elaborate when asked about the proposed changes, or when an announcement might be made.
Mr Biden has long resisted calls from his party to reform the court. Some Democrats had argued change was needed after his predecessor Trump appointed three right-wing justices to shape a 6-3 conservative majority.
There have also been questions about ethics on the high court with Justice Clarence Thomas accepting luxury trips from a billionaire Republican donor, and questions about his wife’s support for overturning the 2020 presidential election when Trump lost.
Mr Biden created a commission to issue recommendations early in his presidency. The advice was never acted upon.
Democrats would face a huge challenge to get any reform through a divided Senate and a Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
The high court’s opinions this term displayed the sharp political shift, with the conservative majority issuing a series of high-profile rulings that affected abortion rights, gun laws, the environment and Trump’s criminal trials.
One of the four criminal cases against Trump has since been dismissed and sentencing has been delayed in another.
Along with the reforms, Mr Biden is also examining backing a constitutional amendment that would eliminate the broad immunity cited by the court.
Mr Biden’s reported plan, if announced, would at least give him a new campaign issue in the runup to November’s election.
The president repeatedly cites the Supreme Court and its rulings on the campaign trail. He made mention of the high court Tuesday during an interview with BET, bringing up the court’s ruling in 2022 that eliminated the right to an abortion by overturning Roe v Wade.
Mr Biden noted Trump could have the option of appointing another justice or two if he wins. “Just imagine if he has two more appointments,” Biden said.
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