These Are the Supreme Court Reforms Biden Wants
President Joe Biden is proposing some major changes to the Supreme Court that would include term limits for justices and enforceable code of ethics, and even a constitutional amendment that would limit the recent Supreme Court decision that gave former President Donald Trump and all other presidents broad immunity from criminal prosecution.
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00:00President Joe Biden is proposing some major changes to the Supreme Court that would include
00:05term limits for justices, an enforceable code of ethics, and even a constitutional amendment
00:11that would limit the recent Supreme Court decision that gave former President Donald
00:15Trump and all other presidents broad immunity from criminal prosecution.
00:20All these proposals would require congressional approval, which could be challenging in this
00:25era of a divided Congress.
00:27And some of the details are still to be worked out.
00:30Still, term limits have generally been broadly popular in polling.
00:35This proposal would limit justices to 18-year terms.
00:39The Supreme Court recently adopted its first formal code of ethics.
00:43It doesn't have an enforcement mechanism, and imposing one would present some rather
00:48thorny legal questions about exactly who might do the enforcing.
00:53Limiting or undoing the Supreme Court's recent decision regarding presidential immunity would
00:58be a taller order in terms of approvals.
01:02It would require two-thirds from both the House and the Senate, as well as eventually
01:06to be ratified by three-quarters of state legislatures.
01:09These proposals mark a major shift for Biden, who was once head of the Senate Judiciary
01:13Committee and has long resisted calls to reform the Supreme Court.
01:18Still, they could focus voter attention in what's expected to be a tight presidential race.
01:24Several decisions from the conservative-majority Supreme Court have outraged Democratic voters,
01:30including those regarding abortion rights and federal regulatory powers.