Kamala Harris Announces Proposal with Biden to Reform Supreme Court: ‘No One is Above the Law’

Vice President Kamala Harris announced that she and President Joe Biden are proposing a significant overhaul of the Supreme Court.

The proposal, which includes term limits for justices and stricter ethics requirements, has been criticized sharply by Republican leaders who argue it politicizes the judicial system.

The Biden-Harris proposals include an 18-year term limit for Supreme Court justices and requirements that justices disclose gifts, avoid public political activity and recuse themselves if they or their spouses have conflicts of interest. AP

In a statement, Harris detailed the proposed reforms, which call for imposing 18-year term limits on Supreme Court justices, requiring them to adhere to binding ethics rules, and ensuring that former Presidents are not immune from prosecution for crimes committed while in office. “These popular reforms will help to restore confidence in the Court, strengthen our democracy, and ensure no one is above the law,” Harris said.

The reform package also includes provisions for justices to disclose gifts, avoid public political activity, and recuse themselves from cases where they or their spouses have conflicts of interest. This initiative comes as Harris, 59, begins her second week as the presumed Democratic presidential nominee, following President Biden’s decision to withdraw from seeking a second term.

Harris, 59, claimed credit for helping formulate the plan — primarily to publicize criticism of conservative justices — as she began her second week as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. AP

The proposed reforms have reignited scrutiny of conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. Justice Thomas, who has been on the bench for nearly 33 years, is criticized for accepting undisclosed vacations from billionaire Harlan Crow. Justice Alito, who has served for more than 18 years, faces controversy due to his wife’s display of an upside-down American flag around the time of the January 6 Capitol riot.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) rejected the proposal, calling it an attempt to undermine the judiciary. “President Biden’s proposal to radically overhaul the U.S. Supreme Court would tilt the balance of power and erode not only the rule of law but the American people’s faith in our justice system,” Johnson said. He criticized the proposal as part of a broader Democratic effort to delegitimize the Court, predicting it will not pass in the House. “This dangerous gambit of the Biden-Harris Administration is dead on arrival in the House,” he added.

Harris has also been campaigning on a platform to restore federal abortion rights, particularly in response to the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which has led many states to impose more restrictive abortion laws.

Dan Olczak

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