Opinion | Joe Biden: My plan to reform the Supreme Court and ensure no president is above the law
Opinion | Joe Biden: My plan to reform the Supreme Court and ensure no president is above the law
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. No one.
But the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on July 1 to grant presidents broad immunity from prosecution for crimes they commit in office means there are virtually no limits on what a president can do. The only limits will be those that are self-imposed by the person occupying the Oval Office.
If a future president incites a violent mob to storm the Capitol and stop the peaceful transfer of power — like we saw on Jan. 6, 2021 — there may be no legal consequences.
And that’s only the beginning.
On top of dangerous and extreme decisions that overturn settled legal precedents — including Roe v. Wade — the court is mired in a crisis of ethics. Scandals involving several justices have caused the public to question the court’s fairness and independence, which are essential to faithfully carrying out its mission of equal justice under the law. For example, undisclosed gifts to justices from individuals with interests in cases before the court, as well as conflicts of interest connected with Jan. 6 insurrectionists, raise legitimate questions about the court’s impartiality.
You're viewing a single thread.
In regards to term limits, some say that only a constitutional amendment could enforce term limits on Supreme Court justices, as current proposed legislation would be unconstitutional. They argue that the relegation of judges to a new form of senior status runs afoul to the constitutional provision allowing justices to serve "in good Behaviour" in Article III Section 1.