US President Joe Biden wants to make a big impact in his final months as America’s president. He wants to limit the Supreme Court’s influence because of conservative justices who have repeatedly blocked progressive policies. “They have enormous power to declare things unconstitutional,” explains Kenneth Manusama, an Americanist and expert on US constitutional law.
Biden wants to make a big impact with Supreme Court reform
Among other things, Manusama details the issues surrounding some of the judges appointed by Republican presidents — especially Donald Trump. “There are many judges who have been discredited because of trips paid for by billionaires or attacks on the Capitol. So there is a kind of ethical crisis around some of the judges. According to American, that means ‘the entire Supreme Court is in a crisis of legitimacy.'” It has been said for years that something needs to be done about this. ”
Conservative power
The American also points out that many rulings have been made by judges, particularly rulings that have had a positive effect on Republicans, for example by allowing abortion to be considered a free issue for the states. ‘These are all statements that swing society from left to right and back and forth. So the court has a huge social impact.’
Manusama also insists that ‘the court should be in touch with what is happening in the society’. ‘The court is now too ideologically busy, sometimes even Shaky legal foundations. It is seen as illegal and no longer compatible with the democratic system of the United States.
activities
So Biden wants to take action in his final months as president. For example, he wants to end the lifetime appointment of court judges. Instead of lifetime appointments, judges should be appointed for a maximum term of eighteen years. There should also be a code of conduct to prevent judges from being influenced by others.
Biden could go one step further, Manusama thinks, by expanding the court with more judges. “It would greatly dilute the existing conservative power.” However, Biden didn’t go that far. “Joe Biden wouldn’t dare do that, and the proposed measures are actually very reasonable,” the American said.