Joe Biden labels presidential immunity ruling 'dangerous precedent' as he outlines Supreme Court reforms

AUSTIN, TEXAS: President Joe Biden shared his proposal for major reforms in the US Supreme Court while speaking at the LBJ Presidential Library at an event commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act on Monday, July 29.

The basic points of the proposal were highlighted by POTUS in a post on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter), which began, "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."

"So today, I'm calling for three bold reforms to restore trust and accountability to the court and our democracy," it read. "One. No more immunity for crimes a former president committed while in office. Two. Term limits for Supreme Court justices. Three. A binding code of conduct for the Supreme Court."

Joe Biden's announcement of SCOTUS reform proposal

During his speech on Monday, Biden said, "In recent years, extreme opinions that the Supreme Court has handed down have undermined the longest civil rights principles and protections."

The incumbent cited some recent cases to back his claim, including the overturning of Roe v Wade, and Trump v United States, and stated that they established a "dangerous precedent."

"This court is being used to weaponize an extreme and unchecked agenda," Biden pointed out while calling the immunity decision "a total affront to the basic expectations we have for those who wield the power of this."

"My fellow Americans, based on all my experience, I'm certain we need these reforms. We need these reforms to restore trust in the courts, preserve the system of checks and balances that are vital to our democracy," he said.

According to Fox News, the proposed reforms would eliminate any immunity enjoyed by a former president for crimes committed in office, impose an 18-year term limit for Supreme Court justices as well as introduce a new code of conduct for them.

When fully adopted, the term limit would allow presidents to appoint new justices at a cadence of once every two years. At present, SCOTUS justices are appointed for life. As for the code of conduct, Biden argued that the justices should be required to "disclose gifts, refrain from public political activity, and recuse themselves from cases in which they or their spouses have financial or other conflicts of interest."

House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La) had stated that the radical changes being proposed by the incumbent would be "dead on arrival" in Congress, to which Biden replied that it was Johnson's "thinking" that is "dead on arrival."

Internet reacts to Joe Biden's announcement

Netizens had a varied take on the POTUS outlining his proposed Supreme Court reforms on X. While some hailed the effort for promoting accountability, others considered it an overreach for Biden, as the following tweets demonstrate.

"Every American should want this unless they like authoritarianism," wrote a user.

"No, Joe. You can't do this. I don't think you understand that the Supreme Court is a powerful branch of government. Just because they told you no doesn't mean you get to change the rules," shared another.

"Democrats put Constitution ahead of everyone. Republicans put a con man ahead of the Constitution," expressed a third.

"The Democrat way: if you don't get the results that you want, you try to change the laws," jibed a fourth.

"He's going out with a bang," quipped a fifth user.

"Every single American should be for these 3 points, there is no rationale reason not to be. In fact term limits should be added to congress as well, but at least they are voted on every few years unlike the SC," pointed out another.

"Bold and necessary steps to uphold justice and integrity in our democracy. Accountability is the cornerstone of trust," lauded a seventh user.

"This isn’t happening and everyone knows it isn’t happening. It’s basically larping from the president," claimed yet another.

 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.