President also says presidential immunity for crimes should be removed and ethics rules for justices should be stricter

President also says presidential immunity for crimes should be removed and ethics rules for justices should be stricter

Joe Biden has called for a series of reforms to the US Supreme Court, including the introduction of term limits for justices and a constitutional amendment to remove immunity for crimes committed by a president while in office.

In an op-ed published on Monday morning, the president said justices should be limited to a maximum of 18 years’ service on the court rather than the current lifetime appointment, and also said ethics rules should be strengthened to regulate justices’ behavior.

The call for reform comes after the supreme court ruled in early July that former presidents have some degree of immunity from prosecution, a decision that served as a major victory for Donald Trump amid his legal travails.

“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,” Biden wrote.

    • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
      1·
      4 months ago

      If Biden were a strong leader, he could challenge his party and his followers to do the hard things. He could make a persuasive argument, rally the masses, and convince people that it is in their best interest to do what he wants to do. A strong leader would do the right thing, even if they might lose.

      It’s much easier to motivate your followers if they are all narcissistic bigots, of course.

        • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
          1·
          4 months ago

          I don’t expect him to win every fight. I’m really fucking tired of hearing about how we can’t be fighting battles because we’ll lose. The point is to engage in the debate. You’re not going to convince your enemy, but you can drain their public support and bolster your own. So many progressive oolicies have languished in the Democrat doldrums of “We don’t have a super-majority so we’re not even going to try” for decades.

            • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
              1·
              4 months ago

              I’m not mad at him for that. I’m mad at him for not pushing on climate change, or income inequality, or corporate real estate monopolies, or any number of other issues on which Biden and the Democrats have been slow walking half measure platitudes.

                • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
                  2·
                  4 months ago

                  Because that’s not the entire list of available options. It’s not like the resolute desk has a box with two buttons, one labeled “Constitutional amendment to overhaul the SCOTUS,” and the other is “sit on your own thumb and spin for three years.” There have been many opportunities for Biden to step up and lead, and he hasn’t, because he ain’t that guy. He’s not a leader. He was in the good chair at the right time, so the DNC decided he was the guy they wanted to take on Trump. I’m happy Trump lost to Biden, and I desperately want Harris to win. But neither of them are progressive enough to save the world or America from the looming catastrophes.