President Biden advocates for term limits and a binding ethics code for Supreme Court justices to address concerns about the court's conservative majority impacting environmental protections.
Lesley Clark reports for E&E News.
In short:
- Biden's proposal aims to curb the Supreme Court's conservative influence by instituting 18-year term limits and an ethics code.
- Environmental groups support the move, citing the court's recent decisions undermining environmental regulations.
- The plan includes a constitutional amendment to eliminate immunity for crimes committed by former presidents while in office.
Key quote:
“What is happening now is not normal, and it undermines the public’s confidence in the court’s decisions, including those impacting personal freedoms. We now stand in a breach.”
— President Joe Biden
Why this matters:
Changes to the Supreme Court could shift its approach to environmental regulations and restore public trust in its impartiality. This move seeks to prevent a single presidency from significantly altering the court's composition for generations.
