President also says presidential immunity for crimes should be removed and ethics rules for justices should be stricter
Joe Biden has called for a series of reforms to the US Supreme Court, including the introduction of term limits for justices and a constitutional amendment to remove immunity for crimes committed by a president while in office.
In an op-ed published on Monday morning, the president said justices should be limited to a maximum of 18 years’ service on the court rather than the current lifetime appointment, and also said ethics rules should be strengthened to regulate justices’ behavior.
The call for reform comes after the supreme court ruled in early July that former presidents have some degree of immunity from prosecution, a decision that served as a major victory for Donald Trump amid his legal travails.
“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,” Biden wrote.
I think the justification is very good, but the actual implementation came with unforeseen consequences. Making the terms much shorter would make the court more like a second legislature, which defeats much of the original purpose. Having18-year terms is a good compromise.
I’d also like to have spelled-out ethics requirements and a lower bar for impeachment, but OTOH I don’t think either of those things would have prevented the current mess, because the rely on the Senate to act in good faith, and we know Republicans will never vote to impeach one of their own judges not matter how corrupt they may be.