Republicans on Monday denounced President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ push for radical Supreme Court reforms as “outrageous” and a “threat to democracy,” likening the effort to the judicial branch reforms that led to the rise of Venezuela’s socialist dictatorship.
The Biden-Harris proposal includes passing legislation limiting Supreme Court justices’ terms to 18 years, requiring judges to disclose gifts, avoid public political activity and resign if they or their spouses have a conflict of interest, and a new constitutional amendment to limit presidential immunity.
“This is outrageous,” said Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.). Video posted on XHe argued that Supreme Court reform “runs counter to the system of American exceptionality that we all enjoy.”
“We need to be very careful when we mess with the Supreme Court because we’re messing with the heart of the American system,” she added.
Appearing with Salazar were two Republican members of Florida’s congressional delegation, who suggested the reforms were politically motivated.
“This has happened many times throughout history when someone has tried to change the system for political reasons,” said Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.).
“This is extremely dangerous, unacceptable behavior and a real threat to our democracy and all of the freedoms we enjoy in the United States,” he added.
Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) compared Biden and Harris’ proposed reforms to those under Venezuela’s late dictator Hugo Chavez, who rose to power in the late 1990s.
“What was the first thing Hugo Chavez did when he became president? He reformed the Venezuelan Supreme Court and legalized things for himself,” Jimenez noted.
“So what are they doing now? They’re using the same court system to put key opposition leaders in jail,” he added, referring to Maduro’s opposition leader, Roberto Venezuela, who was banned by the country’s High Court from running for any public office for 15 years and is currently serving his sentence. Under investigation They are accused of conspiring with North Macedonia to hack the results of Sunday’s election.
“Having interference with the justice system is a way to maintain power,” Jimenez continued, “so this is really dangerous to the security of our country and the security of our democracy.”
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) echoed the Florida Republican’s concerns.
“My colleague is 100 percent right,” Malliotakis said. I wrote to X“Hugo Chavez expanded Venezuela’s Supreme Court from 20 to 32 justices and repeatedly ruled in favor of the corrupt government.”
“That’s how they destroyed the richest country in South America,” she added. “We should never allow that to happen here.”
Four Biden proposals for Supreme Court reform that Harris supports:
The president’s three-pronged plan is unlikely to come to fruition as a divided Congress is unlikely to take up the issue with six months left in Biden’s term.
Biden is pushing for a constitutional amendment to limit immunity following the Supreme Court’s July 1 ruling that presidents, including former President Donald Trump, have absolute immunity for acts of official conduct. However, the amendment faces additional hurdles as it would require the approval of more than two-thirds of both houses of Congress, or more than three-quarters of state legislatures called for by two-thirds of states.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) Show on Monday The proposed reforms would “die as soon as they were introduced in the House of Commons.”
“President Biden’s sweeping proposals for overhauling the United States Supreme Court would upset the balance of power and undermine not only the rule of law but also the American people’s confidence in our judicial system,” the House Speaker said in a statement.
“This proposal is the logical conclusion to the ongoing efforts by the Biden-Harris Administration and congressional Democrats to delegitimize the Supreme Court. Their calls to expand and staff the Supreme Court will soon be reinstated,” he argued.
“It is indicative that Democrats want to change the system that has guided our country since its founding simply because they disagree with some of the Supreme Court’s recent decisions. This dangerous gambit by the Biden-Harris Administration will fail the moment it passes the House of Representatives,” Johnson concluded.
