Biden seriously considering publicly endorsing major reforms to the Supreme Court, sources say

\President Joe Biden is seriously considering publicly endorsing major reforms to the Supreme Court, including term limits and an ethics code for the justices, as well as amending the constitution to eliminate immunity for presidents, according to two sources familiar with the deliberations.

The Washington Post first reported that Biden was weighing these moves, which would likely require congressional approval.

Biden alluded to the fact that he was these reforms on a call with members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus over the weekend, a source familiar with the call told CNN. He told lawmakers that while he did not want to get ahead of himself, major reforms were likely coming and that he was in the process of consulting with constitutional lawyers, the source said, adding that Biden did not get into specific details during this meeting.

If adopted by Congress, the changes would represent some of the biggest to hit the court in decades. Progressives have in recent years been pushing for such dramatic reforms at the court, but Biden has taken a much more cautious approach to the court.

But as the Supreme Court came under intense scrutiny in 2023 following a series of blockbuster investigative pieces that turned a spotlight on the ethical alleged lapses of several of the justices, Democrats in Congress pushed for meaningful reforms at the court, though the issue never fully gained steam. The nine justices eventually released an ethics code in November that did little to assuage concerns from the court’s critics.

The reforms backed by Biden would need congressional approval and the constitutional amendment would require ratification by 38 states in a process that seems nearly impossible to succeed.

Some context on ethics code: Justice Clarence Thomas took several more trips on the private plane of GOP megadonor Harlan Crow — in 2017, 2019 and 2021 — than were previously known, Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin revealed in June. This is in addition to a previously known 2019 trip to Indonesia, during which Thomas also stayed on Crow’s mega-yacht, Durbin said. The trips add to the picture of luxury travel enjoyed by Thomas and bankrolled by friends of the justice who have ties to conservative politics.

Context on immunity for presidents: The Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that Donald Trump may claim immunity from criminal prosecution for some of the actions he took in the waning days of his presidency in a decision that will likely further delay a trial on the federal election subversion charges pending against him.