"Nation of laws"

Biden wants to reorganize the Supreme Court in three points

Biden has big plans for the rest of his term.

(Bild: AP/Susan Walsh)

The US President presented his reform plans for the US Supreme Court on Monday. The judges of the Supreme Court have repeatedly caused a stir in recent years - through their decisions and their behavior outside the courtroom.  

Biden wants to reform the Supreme Court of the United States. The Democrat is calling for a term limit (maximum 18 years) for Supreme Court judges and an enforceable code of ethics.

The US President also wants to bring about a constitutional amendment that makes it clear that the power of his office has clear limits. Former presidents should not be protected from prosecution for offenses committed while in office - as the recent Supreme Court ruling suggests.

US President rebukes behavior of judges
In an opinion piece in the Washington Post, Biden also criticizes the conduct of some Supreme Court justices: "Scandals involving several justices have caused the public to question the court's fairness and independence."

The Republicans have succeeded in creating a conservative super-majority on the US Supreme Court:

The US president is alluding to several conservative judges. Clarence Thomas, for example, has been under pressure since last year - because he had luxury trips and private flights paid for by a Republican billionaire. Thomas is also facing doubts about his non-partisanship because of his wife: she is a conservative activist who, in the dispute over the 2020 presidential election, made Trump's false claim of electoral fraud her own and campaigned for the right-wing populist to remain in the presidency.

The conservative Supreme Court judge Samuel Alito is also the subject of controversy. Flags that were also used by fanatical Trump supporters during the storming of the US Capitol flew in front of his houses. Alito also hoisted the American flag in front of one of his properties - albeit upside down. Among conspiracy theorists, this is a symbol of the allegedly "stolen election" in 2020.

According to Biden, the USA is founded on a simple but profound principle: "No one is above the law. Not the President of the United States. Not a judge on the Supreme Court of the United States. No one."

Biden shares the founding fathers' conviction that the power of the president is limited and not absolute. "We are a nation of laws - not of kings or dictators."

Implementation is considered unlikely
His three proposals must be approved by Parliament, which is considered unlikely due to the current majority in the US Congress. There are particularly high hurdles for a constitutional amendment. A government representative said that Biden believes the reforms are necessary "in light of this crisis of confidence in America's democratic institutions".

Former President Donald Trump had already criticized the plans when US media first reported on them last week. "The Democrats are trying to interfere in the presidential election and destroy our justice system by attacking their political opponent, me, and our honorable Supreme Court," he wrote on his online platform Truth Social.