Staff Reports
At a recent White House briefing, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced a barrage of questions regarding President Joe Biden’s dramatic shift on the Supreme Court. Just months before the 2024 election, Biden decided it was time to pivot and called for 18-year term limits for Supreme Court Justices, a notion he vehemently opposed not long ago. Apparently, a quick U-turn is now the name of the game when it comes to appealing to the voting public.
The President’s op-ed in the Washington Post has ignited discussions, particularly about his sudden criticisms of the Supreme Court. Observers couldn’t help but wonder: is this a genuine policy proposal or merely a last-minute election year stunt? According to Jean-Pierre, the op-ed was a reaction to the Court’s overreach, as interpreted by the administration. Apparently, the shimmering lights of election season have led Biden to the conclusion that he must now rein in those pesky conservative Justices who just won’t play ball.
JACQUI TIME: “Is this Supreme Court proposal just an election year gambit?”
KJP: “I will say this. I think, if you read the Washington Post op-ed that the President put out yesterday, if you listen to his speech, he was reacting to what SCOTUS has been doing over the past — not… pic.twitter.com/gVpvkKYqzI
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) July 30, 2024
Notably, Biden’s proposed term limits would conveniently lead to the retirement of conservatives like Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas. However, the notion of implementing such a change is about as likely as a snowstorm in July—it would require a constitutional amendment, meaning it’s essentially DOA. The odds of getting this radical reform past Congress are as slim as a politician’s promise, especially with a Republican-controlled House that isn’t keen on fundamentally altering the Constitution to satisfy a political whim.
Biden’s maneuvering has drawn sharp rebukes from conservatives, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who underscored the dangers of this power grab. The proposed changes would not only upset the balance of power in the judiciary but also chip away at the foundation of trust that the American people have in their legal system. The irony of Democrats pushing for systemic change simply because they disagree with a few rulings is rich, akin to a spoiled child insisting the rules are unfair because they didn’t win the game.
.@Joebiden’s dangerous Supreme Court reform proposal might be relying on @SenWhitehouse unconstitutional bill (S. 3096) to pack court w/ a new justice every 2 years & then deny more senior Justices right to sit on cases involving appellate jurisdiction. https://t.co/RNZanB7TAN
— Mark Paoletta (@MarkPaoletta) July 29, 2024
The plan, which appears to have ties to Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s unconstitutional bill, has further fueled the skepticism surrounding it. It has been suggested that there’s a sophisticated game at play aimed at neutralizing justices like Thomas first, followed by Alito and potentially Chief Justice Roberts. The implications of this power play raise serious questions about the separation of powers, and whether Biden and his allies are willing to continue down this slippery slope. Clearly, in the current political climate, cozying up to the founding principles of this country appears to be less of a priority than the urgency to reshape institutions they can’t control.
