President Biden is heading to the Lyndon B. Johnson Library in Austin, Texas, on Monday to speak about his long-awaited proposal to reform the Supreme Court, changes that are highly unlikely to earn congressional approval in the near future.
Mr. Biden, who last week handed his presidential campaign over to Vice President Kamala Harris, is detailing the reforms at the library belonging to the last sitting president to announce he wouldn’t run for reelection, which Johnson did in 1968. These will be Mr. Biden’s first public remarks since he explained his decision to drop out of the race in an Oval Office address last week. The event is meant to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act.
The White House on Monday laid out the framework of the Supreme Court proposal. The most significant change would impose 18-year term limits for justices. The proposal also calls for a binding ethics code for the justices and a constitutional amendment that would limit presidential immunity, after the Supreme Court ruled Donald Trump can enjoy immunity for official acts he took as president.
Mr. Biden’s proposal to overhaul the Supreme Court, which critics say violates separation of powers, isn’t likely to go far in Congress. Republicans control the House, and Democrats only have a very narrow margin in the Senate.
But the proposal could fire up Democrats and liberals to get out and vote for Harris. She has 99 days to prove to the country that she, not Trump, should sit in the Oval Office.
The Supreme Court, where conservative justices hold a majority, has issued opinions the last two years that have riled Democrats and liberals, such as its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, effectively turning decisions on abortion back to the states. Liberals are also frustrated by conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, a Bush nominee, decrying his acceptance of expensive trips from a GOP donor.
How to watch:
What: President Biden speaks on Supreme Court reform proposals
Date: July 29, 2024
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Location: Lyndon B. Johnson Library, Austin, Texas
Online stream: Live on CBS News in the video player above and on your mobile or streaming device