Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is criticizing President Joe Biden’s recent reform proposals for the U.S. Supreme Court, saying they would weaken judicial independence.
On Monday, Biden unveiled a suite of proposals that would, for the first time, impose term limits on Supreme Court justices and create an enforceable ethics code for the court. The president, who recently dropped his bid for a second term in the White House under pressure from other Democrats, has also called for passage of a constitutional amendment limiting presidential immunity in response to a recent Supreme Court ruling involving former President Donald Trump.
But Collins said Tuesday that Biden’s proposals aren’t going anywhere in the current Congress.
Republicans control the House of Representatives. And while Democrats have the slimmest of majorities in the Senate, they would need some Republican support to overcome a filibuster. Collins, one of the more moderate Republicans still in D.C., made clear that she wouldn’t back the president’s plans.
“It disturbs me greatly that he is proposing term limits on Supreme Court justices because that weakens the independence of the judiciary, and I think shows a lack of respect for the judicial branch,” Collins said in an interview. “So I do not support the proposals that he has made, and I know that there is absolutely no chance that they are going anywhere.”
Independent U.S. Sen. Angus King, who caucuses with the Democrats, has not yet weighed in on Biden’s proposed reforms. But last year, King teamed up with Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska on legislation proposing that the Supreme Court create a code of ethics.
Meanwhile, Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine’s 1st Congressional District said Tuesday she has signed onto a proposed constitutional amendment to limit presidential immunity. In a controversial, split decision, the Supreme Court said presidents have broad immunity from prosecution for “official acts” while they are in the White House.
“Earlier this month, the United States Supreme Court undermined the foundation of our Constitution that no man is above the law,” Pingree said in a statement. “As Justice Sotomayor laid out in her powerful dissenting opinion, this decision could have severe long-term consequences and upsets the principles that have existed since our nation’s founding. This constitutional amendment not only corrects an error of this Supreme Court and protects our democracy, but ensures our nation endures for years to come.”
A constitutional amendment would have to pass even higher voting thresholds — two thirds votes in both chambers of Congress — before being sent to state legislatures for potential ratification.
This article appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
