Critics argue that President Biden’s push for sweeping changes to the Supreme Court appeals to the left-wing base of the Democratic Party that was once called a “moderate” administration.
On Monday, Biden and Vice President Harris backed tough measures from Congress, including term limits, ethics rules and a constitutional amendment limiting presidential immunity.
In an op-ed published in The Washington Post, Biden said he had “great respect for our institutions and the separation of powers” but that “what is happening now is abnormal and it undermines public confidence in the court’s decisions, including those of Affects personal freedom.
The move marks a near 180-degree about-face for Biden, who has generally opposed plans to make such changes to the high court even within his own party.
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President Biden descends the steps of Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, on July 17, 2024. (Susan Walsh/AP)
In the early years of his Senate political career, Biden called President Franklin Roosevelt’s plan to impose term limits on older judges and pack courts “a stupid idea.” Court packing, or court packing, is the term for increasing the number of judges in a court.
During the 2020 campaign, he rejected calls to expand the court, saying it would damage the court’s credibility.
After Monday’s announcement, Biden gave no indication that he expected to pack the court. But as he walked out of the Oval Office, he backed the plans of the party’s most radical wing.
“The far left’s call to destroy the Supreme Court was first echoed by a candidate desperate to salvage a failing campaign,” said Carrie Severino, president of the Justice Network.
Biden, Harris call for Supreme Court term limits, code of conduct, limits on presidential immunity
President Biden speaks at a campaign event at Pullman Courtyard in Atlanta on March 9, 2024. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)
She added: “Now they will be backed by a candidate who caters to the dark money groups in Arabella’s network of advisers, such as Demand Justice, Fix the Courts and many others funded by liberal billionaires. Pop up groups.
Arabella Advisors is a dark money fund that supports various left-wing causes. Notably, Harris’ communications director, Brian Fallon, is the former director of Demand Justice, an Arabella-funded group that advocates for the court Pack.
Another group with ties to Arabella, Fix the Court, pushed for term limits on judges.
“[Biden is] Trying to use this gimmick to shore up his base,” said Republican strategist Matt Gorman.
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vice president harris (Eileen Schaaf/Pool, Reuters)
“The idea that Joe Biden is advocating for term limits is laughable. The left can’t stand that they can’t control the courts, so they’ll do whatever they can to do it through legislative force,” he said.
The ideological leanings of the high court changed when now-President Trump appointed Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett to the justices. The conservative camp is certainly not always in lockstep, but Democrats in Congress and the White House still claim a Republican-appointed majority.
“President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris want to terminate the Constitution and destroy the Supreme Court because they have no control over it,” Severino said.
“Biden and Harris are declaring war on the separation of powers with this statement,” she added.
The Harris campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
White House spokesman Andrew Bates responded: “President Biden defends the rule of law and the integrity of the Supreme Court, and he is grateful that these proposals have the bipartisan support of legal experts, members of Congress and the overwhelming majority of the American people.
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“Now, congressional Republicans face a choice: Will they uphold a conflict of interest on our nation’s highest court and help the president stay above the law, or will they side with Joe Biden, conservative former judges and their own constituents? To protect the principles of those who do not respect the law.
Notably, the Supreme Court approved the new code of conduct last year after months of scrutiny by congressional Democrats.
“For the most part, these rules and principles are not new: the courts have long had what amounts to common law moral rules, that is, a set of rules derived from a variety of sources, including statutory provisions, members of the federal judiciaryethics advisory opinions issued by the Judicial Conference’s Code of Conduct Committee, and historical practice,” a statement signed by all judges said.
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“In recent years, however, the lack of a Code has led to the misconception that the judges of this Court, unlike all other jurists in this country, do not consider themselves bound by any ethical rules. To dispel this misunderstanding, we have issued this Code , represents to a large extent the codification of principles that we have long regarded as guiding our conduct,” it said.
