WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – President Joe Biden is expected to announce a plan to dramatically change the Supreme Court. His plan includes term limits, an ethics code and a constitutional amendment on presidential immunity.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic nominee for president, has come out in support of the president’s plan.
Republicans have criticized the president and say he’s trying to overhaul the court because he doesn’t like recent decisions.
In a Washington Post op-ed, President Biden pushed for a constitutional amendment that would prohibit blanket immunity for presidents
He also said there should be term limits for Supreme Court justices, 18 years on the court instead of a lifetime appointment and an enforceable ethics code.
Democrats have criticized Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito for accepting gifts from GOP donors and not telling the public.
“They are the only federal court that is not barred from that kind of behavior by an enforceable code of conduct,” said White House Senior Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates.
Congressional Republicans say they are not on board.
On Sunday, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) spoke against changes to the Supreme Court.
“They didn’t complain about any of this when the court was pumping out opinions they liked,” said Graham.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) says the plan is dead on arrival in the House.
“The American people, whatever your point of view, clearly support what the president has put forward,” said Bates.
The White House says the Supreme Court could take charge of an ethics code.
Last week Justice Elena Kagan called publicly for the court to make its ethics rules enforceable.
Since 1970 the average justice has spent 28 years on the high court. Currently, three justices have served more than 18 years: Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Thomas and Alito.
