WASHINGTON, US President Joe Biden announced Monday a plan to reform the Supreme Court and to ensure no former presidents and judges can be prosecution for crimes they committed while in office.
In a press statement, the White House regretted that in recent years, the Supreme Court has overturned long-established legal precedents protecting fundamental rights including granting presidents broad immunity.
It added that recent ethics scandals involving some Justices have caused the public to question the fairness and independence that are essential for the Court to faithfully carry out its mission to deliver justice for all Americans.
“President Biden believes that no one-neither the President nor the Supreme Court-is above the law,” the statement stressed.
To overcome what the statement described as a crisis of confidence in America’s democratic institutions, President Biden announced three-point reform plan to restore trust and accountability.
The plan envisages: no immunity for crimes a former president
committed in office; term limits for the Supreme Court justices; and binding code of conduct for the Supreme Court.
The White House clarified that President Biden shares the Founders’ belief that the President’s power is limited-not absolute-and must ultimately reside with the people. He is calling for a constitutional amendment that makes clear no President is above the law or immune from prosecution for crimes committed while in office. “This No One Is Above the Law Amendment will state that the Constitution does not confer any immunity from federal criminal indictment, trial, conviction, or sentencing by virtue of previously serving as President,” the statement explained.
Furthermore, the President noted that the Congress approved term limits for the Presidency over 75 years ago, and so he believes that they should do the same for the Supreme Court.
“The United States is the only major constitutional democracy that gives lifetime seats to its high court Justices. Term limits would help ensure that the C
ourt’s membership changes with some regularity; make timing for Court nominations more predictable and less arbitrary; and reduce the chance that any single Presidency imposes undue influence for generations to come,” he said. President Biden stated that he supports a system in which the President would appoint a Justice every two years to spend eighteen years in active service on the Supreme Court.
He also underlined that the Congress should pass binding, enforceable conduct and ethics rules that require Justices to disclose gifts, refrain from public political activity, and recuse themselves from cases in which they or their spouses have financial or other conflicts of interest.
“Supreme Court Justices should not be exempt from the enforceable code of conduct that applies to every other federal judge,” he said.
Source: Kuwait News Agency