Johnson Calls Biden's SCOTUS Proposals a 'Dangerous Gambit'

President Biden unveiled his proposals for reforming the Supreme Court on Monday—and House Speaker Mike Johnson said they would be "dead on arrival" in the House. In a statement posted on social media, the Republican accused Biden of seeking to "delegitimize the Court," reports Reuters.

• Biden's proposed court overhaul would "erode not only the rule of law, but the American people's faith in our system of justice," Johnson wrote. "It is telling that Democrats want to change the system that has guided our nation since its founding simply because they disagree with some of the Court's recent decisions. This dangerous gambit of the Biden-Harris Administration is dead on arrival in the House."
• According to C-SPAN, when Biden was asked about Johnson's "dead on arrival" remark, he said, "That's what he is." When a reporter asked him to clarify the remark, Biden said, "He is. Dead on arrival."

• The Washington Post describes Biden's proposals as "largely aspirational at this stage given the long odds they face in implementation." The 18-year term limits and binding code of ethics he is proposing would require approval from Congress, and there is little chance of them gaining enough Republican support to pass the House or the Senate. Biden's proposed constitutional amendment to limit presidential immunity faces longer odds.
• While there's little chance of it passing Congress, the proposal for term limits for Supreme Court justice had broad support in a 2022 AP-NORC poll, the AP reports. Some 67%, including 82% of Democrats and 57% of Republicans, favored term limits. Another poll the following year found that a similar proportion of Americans support age limits for SCOTUS justices.
• Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed the proposals in a statement released by her campaign on Monday, the New York Times reports. "These popular reforms will help to restore confidence in the court, strengthen our democracy and ensure no one is above the law," she said.

(More US Supreme Court stories.)