The News
President Joe Biden is set to add major changes to the US Supreme Court to his campaign promises, a long shot that he hopes could help his lagging reelection bid.
The proposals include establishing term limits for justices and an enforceable ethics code, a reform that has gained popularity among Democrats after revelations about members of the court’s apparent ties to far-right and conservative causes, The Washington Post reported. The president is also considering supporting a constitutional amendment to eliminate broad immunity for presidents and other constitutional officeholders, according to reports.
SIGNALS
SCOTUS reforms are attempt to revive Biden’s campaign
Endorsing the changes is part of a “laundry list of left-wing policy proposals” Biden has taken up to get progressive voters back onside in his faltering reelection campaign, Axios noted. As a former chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Biden has historically been a staunch opponent of major changes to the Supreme Court, The Washington Post noted. In 2020, he opposed calls to expand the court, but started a committee to discuss potential changes to it in 2021. However the court’s recent decisions — as well as the ethical issues surrounding conservative Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas — may have prompted him to make combatting the court’s conservative turn a key theme of his campaign, NPR wrote.
Passing reforms on SCOTUS is a long shot at best
Any changes to the Supreme Court would need to go through Congress and obtain 60 votes in the Senate, a “tough path,” Politico noted, even if Biden won reelection and Democrats controlled both chambers; an amendment to the Constitution would face even more significant legal challenges, and require the approval of Congress and state legislatures. Congressional Republicans, who have “viewed the Supreme Court’s latest rightward turn as a major political victory,” would certainly oppose any changes, Bloomberg Law noted.
Democratic Party ‘remains at war with itself’ over Biden
Talks of replacing Biden are slowly ramping up again within the Democratic Party after a brief reprieve following Trump’s assassination attempt. The party “remains at war with itself” over Biden, Semafor’s David Weigel noted. Some Democrats are pushing forward with a plan to vote on Biden as the presidential nominee weeks before the party’s convention, citing concerns over an Ohio ballot issue that’s already been resolved. But Democrats in Congress are also reviving their rebellion, Axios wrote, and some are circulating a new poll showing that Biden alternatives are three points ahead of him on average in battleground states, Politico added.