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Diane Rehm: On My Mind

Biden's push to reform the Supreme Court

Diane Rehm: On My Mind

WAMU 88.5

Artists And Thinkers Right Here As Diane Transitions This Podcast To Weekly Episodes That We’ll Be Calling “On My Mind.”, News, Writers, Fans Of The Diane Rehm Show Can Continue To Listen To Its Trademark Conversations With Newsmakers

4.72.2K Ratings

🗓️ 1 August 2024

⏱️ 37 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

President Biden laid out a series of proposals to change some fundamental aspects of our nation’s highest court this week. This included term limits, a code of ethics and a constitutional amendment that would say nobody is above the law.

Though the Supreme Court’s approval ratings are stuck at historic lows, Republicans said the reforms are “dead on arrival.” Democrats, on the other hand, see this as a winning issue among the American public for this election cycle, and beyond.

“I think Biden and the people advising him are playing the long game,” says Harry Litman.

Litman is the senior legal affairs columnist at the Los Angeles Times, a former U.S. attorney and deputy assistant attorney general, and host of the podcast “Talking Feds.” He joined Diane to break down Biden’s proposed reforms, what impact they would have, and why the president is proposing them now.

You can find "Talking Feds" wherever you listen to podcasts or on YouTube.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

By it's Diane, on my mind, Supreme Court Reform. On Monday, President Botan laid out a series of proposals to change some fundamental aspects

0:18.6

of our nation's highest court.

0:22.3

This includes turn limits, a code of ethics, and the constitutional

0:28.1

amendment that would say no one is above the law. With the Supreme Court's approval ratings stuck at

0:36.8

historic lows, Democrats see this as a broadly popular move.

0:43.9

What Republicans said reforms were dead on arrival.

0:49.6

Biden and the people he's consulted with,

0:52.1

see this is the long game.

0:54.0

Harry Littman is a former U.S. attorney, law professor,

0:59.0

and host to the podcast Talking Feds.

1:03.7

He joined me to break down these reforms,

1:07.2

what impact they might have,

1:09.7

and why the president is proposing them now.

1:15.9

Harry, I want to go over President Biden's proposals for reforming the court.

1:23.0

Start if you would with term limits and why.

1:28.0

Sure, that's actually the big ticket item of the whole package I would say and what it would provide is that every president would get, and not every president would term would have so a staggered regular rhythm of

1:46.7

two nominees per term and each would serve 18 years making the math kind of happen and why the number one reason is we currently

1:59.2

have in the country because of the now carefully curated to be both

2:05.2

Armageddon life and death battle when there is a new nominee because they are now

2:11.6

carefully curated to be both ideological compatriots of the president

2:17.8

and to serve forever.

2:20.0

The ideal candidate these days is a 40-something, very dyed in the wool in the same fabric of the

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