Team,
Today, President Biden and Vice President Harris endorsed sweeping reforms to the Supreme Court, including 18-year term limits for justices and an enforceable code of ethics.
(I’ve got bills for these, team).
In his announcement, the President cited the Court’s endless parade of ethical scandals – including revelations about undisclosed expensive gifts and luxury vacations for justices paid for by politically active Republican billionaires. These scandals have understandably caused Americans to lose trust in the Court.
President Biden also touched on SCOTUS’ recent decision in which the Court ruled that former presidents have immunity from prosecution for “official” acts, elevating the President above the law – the Founding Fathers’ worst fear.
Even Justice Elena Kagan suggested this month that a panel of lower court judges could be convened to review any allegations of wrongdoing by the justices. It’s true. And it’s what I’ve proposed. Supreme Court justices are the only high-ranking officials in all of government who currently don’t allow basic factfinding about their conduct.
I’ve been leading the way on reforming the Supreme Court for many years. This has been a long, and at times lonely, fight. But we’ve got momentum now.
My SCERT Act, which would create real ethical guardrails at the Supreme Court, is through committee and ready for a floor vote. AND I have the Supreme Court Biennial Appointments and Term Limits Act to establish eighteen-year Supreme Court term limits.
Will you chip in today to support my re-election campaign so I can keep up the fight to clean up this mess at the Supreme Court?
As President Biden said today: “We can and must prevent the abuse of presidential power. We can and must restore the public’s faith in the Supreme Court. We can and must strengthen the guardrails of democracy.”
The tide has turned. Thank you for always standing with me.
Sheldon Whitehouse
