President Joe Biden should “be careful” with his proposal to reform the Supreme Court , Justice Neil Gorsuch suggested in a new interview.
The plan — which includes term limits, an enforceable ethics code, and a push for an amendment to crack down on presidential immunity — came up during an interview conducted by “Fox News Sunday” anchor Shannon Bream.
WATCH: Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch responds to President Biden's proposed reforms. pic.twitter.com/AwDRHlKTjH
— Fox News Sunday (@FoxNewsSunday) August 4, 2024
“You are not in a bubble here at the courts. There are real-world events happening. The president has proposed now changes to the court, supported, it appears, by the vice president who looks like she’s going to be the Democratic nominee. How does the court feel about potential changes, term limits, ethics codes that are enforced by someone in ways that it isn’t now?” Bream asked.
Gorsuch, who was nominated to the high court by former President Donald Trump, replied, “Shannon, you are not going to be surprised that I’m not going to get into what’s now a political issue during a presidential election year. I don’t think that would be helpful.”
He added, “I have one thought to add: It is what the independent judiciary means — what does it mean to you as an American? It means that when you are unpopular, you can get a fair hearing under the law and under the Constitution. If you are in the majority, you don’t need judges and juries to hear you and protect your rights. You are popular! It’s there for the moments when the spotlight is on you, when the government’s coming after you. And don’t you want a ferociously independent judge and a jury of your peers to make those decisions? Isn’t that your right as an American? And so I just say, be careful.”
Biden released his proposal last week after he ended his re-election bid as a growing number of Democrats called on him to step aside following a fumbling debate performance that raised concerns about his mental acuity and electability. Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Biden chose to be his successor, has since clinched the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.
While Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has expressed openness to pursuing at least part of Biden’s proposed overhaul through legislation, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) responded by calling the plan “dead on arrival” in the House. Biden shot back, saying Johnson is “dead on arrival,” and faced backlash for the comment. Johnson replied by posting a clip to X from the debate that led to Biden dropping out. “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence,” Trump said of Biden in the video clip. “I don’t think he knows what he said either.”
