Biden to propose Supreme Court term limits in major reform: Reports

Biden is also weighing whether to call for a constitutional amendment to eliminate broad presidential immunity, US media reports.

US President Joe Biden is preparing to propose major changes to the Supreme Court and its powers in the coming weeks that would include term limits for justices and an enforceable ethics code, according to United States media reports.

Biden is also weighing whether to call for a constitutional amendment to eliminate broad presidential immunity granted by the court in its most recent term, the Washington Post and Associated Press reported on Tuesday.

During a call with the Congressional Progressive Caucus on Saturday, Biden said there would be some form of Supreme Court reform that he would be unveiling or seeking to implement, according to a source familiar with the discussion.

Changes to the top court would require congressional approval, which would be unlikely in a divided Congress.

However, with ex-president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump bragging about placing three justices on the Supreme Court who are now part of its conservative majority, Biden’s call for major changes could help animate his voters.

In a post on his Truth Social social media platform, Trump criticised the possible Biden move, saying: “The Democrats are attempting to interfere in the Presidential Election, and destroy our Justice System, by attacking their Political Opponent, ME, and our Honorable Supreme Court. We have to fight for our Fair and Independent Courts, and protect our Country.”

Trump, who is set to formally accept the Republican Party’s presidential nomination on Thursday, will face Biden in the November 5 election in a repeat of the 2020 contest.

In October, a bipartisan group of legal experts expressed their support for 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices as a way to deter partisanship and improve the judiciary’s reputation.

According to a poll conducted by the Associated Press in 2022, about two in three Americans say they favour term limits or a mandatory retirement age for Supreme Court justices.

According to a survey in June, confidence in the Supreme Court remains low with four in 10 US adults saying they have hardly any confidence in the people running the top judicial body.