Republicans are skewering President Joe Biden's plan to fundamentally reshape the Supreme Court,calling the attempt an unconstitutional and dangerous gambit to force progressive policies.
The president called for sweeping reforms to the Supreme Court,including term limits,a binding code of conduct for its nine justices and a constitutional amendment that would limit presidential immunity in an op-ed for the Washington Post.
Biden cited 'recent ethics scandals' involving justices and high court rulings in his call on Congress to pass three major reforms to 'restore trust and accountability' in America's democratic institutions.
But Republicans are calling that move a 'radical' and 'dangerous gambit' that will never pass through Congress because it is 'unconstitutional.'
'Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are trying to destroy the independence of the Supreme Court because they can't control it,' Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee,an attorney,exclusively told DailyMail.com.
A security guard walks down the steps of the US Supreme Court in DC on July 19,2024
The announcement marks a remarkable evolution for Biden,who as a candidate had been wary of calls to reform the high court.
But over the course of his presidency,he has become increasingly vocal about his belief that the court has abandoned mainstream constitutional interpretation.
Last week,he announced during an Oval Office speech that he would pursue Supreme Court reform during his final months in office,calling it 'critical to our democracy.'
Harris,in her unsuccessful bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination,had expressed being open to a conversation about expanding the nine-member court. The proposals unveiled on Monday do not include such an effort,which is something Biden as a candidate viewed skeptically.
As a vice presidential candidate,Harris notably dodged questions about her earlier stance on the issue during her October 2020 debate with Vice President Mike Pence.
The Harris campaign and aides to the vice president did not respond to queries about Harris' involvement in shaping the Biden proposal and whether she would pursue any other court reform efforts should she be elected.
The White House in a statement said,'Biden and Vice President Harris look forward to working with Congress and empowering the American people to prevent the abuse of Presidential power,restore faith in the Supreme Court,and strengthen the guardrails of democracy.'
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