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.