Liberal columnist admits that Biden Supreme Court plan is 'almost certain to fail'

By 
 July 31, 2024

President Joe Biden unveiled a Supreme Court reform proposal this week which included term limits, an enforceable ethics code, as well as a constitutional amendment to curtail presidential immunity.

Yet despite praising the initiative, one liberal columnist recently acknowledged that the plan is likely finished.

The Hill contributor says Supreme Court is "a zombie institution"

That argument was put forward in an op-ed piece by The Hill contributor Chris Truax, who wrote that "the Supreme Court is now one of the walking dead."

He went on to call America's highest judicial body "a zombie institution" that will continue "shuffling along until so many bits fall off that it becomes incapacitated."

According to Truax, "the Supreme Court's refusal to abide by the ethics rules and procedures that govern all other federal courts is already eroding its legitimacy."

As an example of this supposed phenomenon, Traux linked to an earlier article he wrote about Justice Samuel Alito's refusal to recuse himself from cases involving January 6 and former President Donald Trump despite controversy over his wife flying an upside down flag at their home.

"No longer viewed as an honest broker, the instability caused by the court’s final capture by partisan politics will complete the process," Traux predicted.

Traux says constitutional amendment will be required

Nevertheless, the columnist believes that "Biden's proposals aren't going to be effective" and are "almost certain to fail in today’s partisan Capitol."

Although Traux thinks that "fixed terms for Supreme Court justices would have some advantages," imposing them would likely run afoul of the Constitution and its lifetime appointment requirement for federal judges.

Further, he pointed out how federal law already imposes ethics rules on the Supreme Court, something the justices maintain is unconstitutional.

Traux thus says that while "Supreme Court reform is inevitable," it will require a constitutional amendment rather than "half-measures."

Lindsey Graham: Proposal wis "dead on arrival"

Meanwhile, The Hill reported that South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told CBS News host Robert Costa this past weekend that any proposal "will be dead on arrival in the Senate."

Graham accused Biden of wanting "to destroy the court, adding, "They want to pack the court. They want … to undercut the conservative court."

"They've tried to marginalize the court and destroy the Roberts court. The Roberts court has brought constitutional balance back to the court, and the liberals in this country want to pack the court. They want to destroy the court," the lawmaker asserted.

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