Rep. Schiff Statement Praising President Biden’s Monumental Plan to Reform the Supreme Court
Washington, D.C.— Today, Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on President Biden’s announcement of a bold plan to reform the Supreme Court and protect the rule of law:
“Over the last few years, we have witnessed our freedoms recede and presidential powers dramatically expand through the actions of a Supreme Court willing to cast aside all precedent in favor of its reactionary agenda. It is essential that we take strong action to restore balance and accountability to the highest court in the land.
“President Biden’s bold new plan to reform the Supreme Court and protect our democracy would do exactly that — through term limits, an enforceable code of ethics and more — to restore balance and ethics on the Court.
“Nearly 250 years ago, our founders created a constitutional order in which presidents were not kings, and our nation would be bound by the rule of law. As this partisan and runaway Supreme Court drags us further from these fundamental, foundational principles, the need for reform has never been greater.
“I’m grateful to President Biden for his leadership on this key proposal. We must unite behind these common-sense reforms to preserve our system of checks and balances for generations to come.”
Background:
Schiff has been a continuous leader on Supreme Court reform. Recently, Schiff announced the creation of the Court Reform Now Task Force which will be utilized as a platform to increase awareness and elevate the debate around key pieces of court reform legislation to fix and rebalance the court. Schiff also recently introduced the Judicial Integrity Act, a critical bill that would hold federal judges and justices accountable for violations of their ethical duties and restore integrity to the courts.
Last year, Schiff introduced the Justice is Beneficial Limitation on Investments and Necessary Disclosure (BLIND) Act, a bill that would require judges to place their financial assets and investments into blind trusts. Schiff also led efforts to expand the Supreme Court to 13 members. Later in September, Rep. Schiff continued his work with the Supreme Court Tenure Establishment and Retirement Modernization (TERM) Act, which would set term limits for Supreme Court justices while establishing a process for Supreme Court appointments.
###