Biden Campaign Dismisses Idea of Supreme Court Reform

[Celerity]

The campaign waved off the notion that the court’s bombshell Trump immunity ruling would move Biden to embrace reform

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/biden-supreme-court-reform-trump-immunity-1235051044/

On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that American presidents have “absolute immunity” from prosecution for any “official acts” they take while in office. For President Joe Biden, this should be great news. Suddenly a host of previously unthinkable options have opened up to him: He could dispatch Seal Team 6 to Mar-A-Lago with orders to neutralize the “primary threat to freedom and democracy” in the United States. He could issue an edict that all digital or physical evidence of his debate performance last week be destroyed. Or he could just use this chilling partisan decision, the latest 6-3 ruling in a term that was characterized by a staggering number of them, as an opportunity to finally embrace the movement to reform the Supreme Court.

But Biden is not planning to do any of that. Shortly after the Supreme Court delivered its decision in Trump v. The United States, the Biden campaign held a press call with surrogates, including Harry Dunn, a Capitol police officer who was injured when Trump supporters stormed the building on Jan. 6; Reps. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) and Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas); and deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks. Their message was simple: It’s terrifying to contemplate what Donald Trump might do with these powers if he’s reelected. “We have to do everything in our power to stop him,” Fulks said. Everything, that is, except take material action to rein in the increasingly lawless and openly right-wing Supreme Court.

Four years ago, Biden was at least willing to pay lip service to the idea that something needed to be done. Under pressure in 2020, then-candidate Biden promised that, if elected, he would appoint a bipartisan commission to consider reforms to the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary. It’s worth noting, he offered that pledge before the court overturned Roe v. Wade, before it struck down a Trump-era ban on the device that facilitated the deadliest mass shooting in American history, and before it ended affirmative action in college admissions. Biden made good on his promise to assemble that commission — 34 experts who held six public meetings, interviewed 44 witnesses, combed through 7,000 public comments, and ultimately delivered 294-page report — but he’s done nothing at all with its findings.

The commission wrote at length about proposals like adding more seats to the Supreme Court or imposing term limits — the latter of which is an idea the commission’s experts said warranted “serious consideration.” Biden, though, did nothing with the report. A year ago — after a string of calamitous decisions and devastating reporting exposing ethics scandals — Biden “upped his criticism” of the court, calling it not “normal” in one interview and saying the court’s ​​“value system is different” in another. Asked directly on Monday whether Biden was recalibrating his position on reform after the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling, his deputy campaign manager Fulks said, “I don’t have any news to share on that this morning,” adding that Biden “deeply respects our institutions of government.”

snip

[OneGrassRoot]

1. That's unfortunate, imo. n/t

[yourout]

2. Idiotic...

[triron]

5. Unfortunately also weak.

[riversedge]

10. I agree--indeed unfortunate!! I would like some

assurance that Biden will at least take a look at that Reform Report--or whatever it is called -in the OP.

[Bev54]

31. When has he ever been in the position to do so?

He needs both house and senate to do so and when he had both, he had Manchin and Sinema that would not vote to remove the filibuster to do so. There is no use him saying he will do something when he was never in a position to do so. And yes you need both houses to change a statute, same as a law.

[LearnedHand]

3. Preemptively he dismisses any action?

I really wish he would listen more closely to those of us who are suffering under the out of touch pronouncements of these RW sycophants.

[ImNotGod]

7. Sadly, self preservation seems to be a weak point. nt

[ImNotGod]

4. FDR would do it in a heartbeat. nt

[kelly1mm]

26. FDR had a D House and filibuster proof D Senate and didn't actually 'do it'. He just

threatened to do it .....

Explain to me the benefit of proposing judicial reform with a R controlled House? Especially the political calculus in regard to those few normies in swing states that will decide the next President?

[Autumn]

6. That's too bad. I'm not sure why he deeply respects and supports a very corrupt institution

of our government that is attempting to destroy the very foundation of that government.

[gay texan]

8. Never show your hand.

We have to win this thing first. Smart move.

[MotownPgh]

12. Repubs and trump will challenge

elections they lose and the Supreme court will rule in his favor.

[LearnedHand]

15. Yes but his supporters have been decimated in this term's rulings

Biden should find a way to acknowledge the enormous suffering at the hands of this "court." Dismissing it out of hand feels gut-wrenching.

[Silent Type]

9. That's smart. Last thing we need is Biden trying to reconstitute the SC right now.

It might make us dance and celebration, but don’t think it will help us in battleground states. Best course is to beat trump at polls and prevent him from trying to turn every crime into an “official act.”

That’s not what SC ruled today, but trump will surely push the limit.

[ecstatic]

11. Sounds like he still doesn't get it.

Really unfortunate and scary.

Biden and most of DU will probably be fine in trump's dictatorship but I won't be and my family won't be and 99% of my friends won't be and 99% of my community won't be.

I will watch the speech tonight and I hope by then he will be prepped with the facts and reality of what has occurred.

Edited: Biden's team was probably still gathering facts this morning. I hope that's what it was.

[MotownPgh]

14. I agree. I have been here alot today and

also two other sites I frequent. Maybe it hasn't sunk in yet but most still think today is the same as yesterday. Glad I'm not the only one terrified.

[Deek1935]

17. Please articulate to me very specifically what "reform" you want and HOW it is going to get passed?

[NYC Liberal]

20. Expand the court to 13 or 15 justices and pass an enforceable ethics law.

That’s the basic reform.

Getting it passed requires Congress passing legislation, which can be used as a GOTV message to get people to elect Democrats to the House and Senate.

[electric_blue68]

34. If they (depending on Senate, and House outcomes) go whole hog on SSA, SSD, SSI, Medicare & Medicaid ...

I will be, among others, imperiled.
Flat out All across the USA

[2naSalit]

13. For the moment...

Could change.

[Deek1935]

16. What REFORM?? It is a separate branch of government. Some say "load the court". WAY easier said than done.

And where does the court loading end? And how do you get the new justices confirmed?

The CONGRESS can take some amount of action, including trying to amend the Constitution, BUT is ain't gonna
happen as long so many RePUKES are in office.

Take it to the people! VOTE OUT REPUBLICANS! THAT is what can be done.

[LearnedHand]

19. I agree but that doesn't fix the problem

Yes it puts more dems in decision making positions, but if nothing can be legislated it doesn't fix things does it.

[Deek1935]

22. More Dems means more lower court judges and means a greater ability to actually ENACT some reforms.

[ecstatic]

23. we dealt with that type of defeatist thinking all throughout trump's presidency and after

What do you want to impeach him for?

There aren't enough votes!

He'll never be prosecuted!

What crimes?

The hush money case is too silly, can't we prosecute something else?

THANK GOD, there are people who didn't get bogged down in defeatism and did their part to hold trump accountable.

Now we just need some brave individuals in Congress or the White House to take on this "above the law" corrupt court. They literally just told him he can do anything as long as he says it's an official act. So I say, stack the court by executive order and have these rulings overturned. Then pardon Hunter and resign. It's only fitting since scotus has made a mockery out of our system. We are a joke now. Sure, scotus will backtrack and try to hold him accountable, but by then, our new democratic president will pardon him. End of story.

I think we're worth fighting for.

[Celerity]

24. I find your arguments to be unpersuasive, and engaging in a sort of fetishsisation of 9 SCOTUS Justices being an

unchangeable, etched in stone number, when that is actually ahistorical.

You are relying far too much on current circumstances negating even putting 'making an attempt to reform it' into play in terms of pursuing that very debate within the body politic at a more concrete level.

US Constitutional checks and balances do NOT exclude the SCOTUS. They absolutely can be put under the whip hand by the other two branches.

Doffing the cap subservience to an thorough out of control and corrupt SCOTUS, plus a fatalistic refusal to vigorously sound off on the need to bring them to heel, will perhaps tragically end up being a national suicide pact.

[Deek1935]

18. Specifically say what "reform" you want and how Biden can get it PASSED? It is a separate branch of government.

[kelly1mm]

21. At this time it is a smart decision. Not unfortunate, not unwise, not naive.

With R's in charge of the House, any court reform measure is DOA and opens the door for calls of court packing and sore-loserism for literally no benefit. Any voters in those swing states that matter that would be happy about such a move are already President Biden voters. I think it would be much more likely to turn off the few 'normie' swing voters in those few swing states that will decide the election.

[Solly Mack]

25. Our institutions of government are not abstract concepts. Those various institutions are made up of people

and not all of those people respect those institutions. Not even the specific institution they work for. Not all of them respect democracy. Not all of them seek to serve the people. Not all of them want a pluralistic society that's fair and just and works for the common good.

They seek a society where their ideas and their beliefs are the only ones allowed. Where the "common good" is defined as doing as your told and obedience to their rules and laws.

They want power to control and oppress. They want to use those institutions of government to allow them to control and oppress the people.

If you can't trust the people within the institutions of government, there is no trust in government period.

You can't respect what you can't trust.

Fear is not respect. It's fear.

[TexasDem69]

27. Good, glad President Biden is showing some common sense

While others are calling for assassinations and imprisonment of political enemies

[Celerity]

28. Who is doing this:

While others are calling for assassinations and imprisonment of political enemies

?

I would posit that anyone doing that is a wrecker/disrupter.

[TexasDem69]

32. Many folks on DU

Haven’t you seen the multiple posts here today calling for Biden to “eliminate” Trump or send him or others to prison?

Here https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219088631

And here https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219084499

And here https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219086667

And numerous other comments in random threads

[Celerity]

33. I missed those. All 3 are outrageous and shamefully dangerous.

If that type of thought becomes the norm on DU I am out of here on a permanent basis.

[dsc]

29. Term limits are a non starter

since they would require a constitutional amendment which isn't going to happen. I think an ethics code and expansion could be possible if we take the House and hold the Senate. If we do hold the Senate that means Sinema will be replaced with someone willing to remove the filibuster. But we would have to have all Democratic senators agreeing to that (as we will have at most 50 Dems in the Senate). I hope at this point we do but I am not sure we do.

[Silent3]

30. Biden does now have the power, however...

...to rebalance the court via SEAL Team Six.