It’s Tuesday…
President Biden’s public schedule for 07/30/2024:
| 12:40 AM Official Schedule | The President departs Joint Base Andrews en route the White House Joint Base Andrews Out-of-Town Pool |
| 12:50 AM Official Schedule | The President arrives at the White House South Lawn Out-of-Town Pool |
| 10:30 AM Pool Call Time | In-Town Pool Call Time The White House In-Town Pool |
| 1:30 PM Press Briefing | Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre James S. Brady Press Briefing Room |
| 2:30 PMOfficial Schedule | The President participates in a call with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil The White House Closed Press |
| 4:45 PM Official Schedule | The President receives the President’s Daily Brief The White House Closed Press |
Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre @1:30 PM D.C., time:
Supreme Court Reform/Commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act Tweets
From Monday…
From the Supreme Court’s decision to grant presidents broad immunity for crimes they commit in office to the Court's recent crisis of ethics – what’s happening is not normal.
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 29, 2024
Today, I called for bold reforms to restore trust and accountability to the court and our democracy. https://t.co/7l7YPE0tlM
I shared a gift link (allegedly) on Twitter. I will use the tweet as the citation in the quote.
Joe Biden: My plan to reform the Supreme Court and ensure no president is above the law https://t.co/kygqH8LbGn
— Newshound (@NewsiesNeighbor) July 30, 2024
This nation was founded on a simple yet profound principle: No one is above the law. Not the president of the United States. Not a justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. No one.
But the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on July 1 to grant presidents broad immunity from prosecution for crimes they commit in office means there are virtually no limits on what a president can do. The only limits will be those that are self-imposed by the person occupying the Oval Office.
If a future president incites a violent mob to storm the Capitol and stop the peaceful transfer of power — like we saw on Jan. 6, 2021 — there may be no legal consequences.
And that’s only the beginning.
On top of dangerous and extreme decisions that overturn settled legal precedents — including Roe v. Wade — the court is mired in a crisis of ethics. Scandals involving several justices have caused the public to question the court’s fairness and independence, which are essential to faithfully carrying out its mission of equal justice under the law. For example, undisclosed gifts to justices from individuals with interests in cases before the court, as well as conflicts of interest connected with Jan. 6 insurrectionists, raise legitimate questions about the court’s impartiality.
I served as a U.S. senator for 36 years, including as chairman and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee. I have overseen more Supreme Court nominations as senator, vice president and president than anyone living today. I have great respect for our institutions and the separation of powers.
What is happening now is not normal, and it undermines the public’s confidence in the court’s decisions, including those impacting personal freedoms. We now stand in a breach.
That’s why — in the face of increasing threats to America’s democratic institutions — I am calling for three bold reforms to restore trust and accountability to the court and our democracy.
Tiff’s Twitter Gift Link Tweet. 07/29/2024.
I’ve separated the wants.
First, I am calling for a constitutional amendment called the No One Is Above the Law Amendment. It would make clear that there is no immunity for crimes a former president committed while in office. I share our Founders’ belief that the president’s power is limited, not absolute. We are a nation of laws — not of kings or dictators.
Tiff’s Twitter Gift Link Tweet. 07/29/2024.
I agree with want number 1. A President can do his or her duty without “criming”. I believe the public is not so stupid (for the most part) that they can’t tell the difference between an actual crime and a President just doing their duty as President. And the decision still pisses me off.
Second, we have had term limits for presidents for nearly 75 years. We should have the same for Supreme Court justices. The United States is the only major constitutional democracy that gives lifetime seats to its high court. Term limits would help ensure that the court’s membership changes with some regularity. That would make timing for court nominations more predictable and less arbitrary. It would reduce the chance that any single presidency radically alters the makeup of the court for generations to come. I support a system in which the president would appoint a justice every two years to spend 18 years in active service on the Supreme Court.
Tiff’s Twitter Gift Link Tweet. 07/29/2024.
I’m torn on want 2. First, I don’t think either his opinion piece or the FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces Bold Plan to Reform the Supreme Court and Ensure No President Is Above the Law gives us enough details on how it will work. Second, zero chance a Congress comes together to make this happen before 2028.
Third, I’m calling for a binding code of conduct for the Supreme Court. This is common sense. The court’s current voluntary ethics code is weak and self-enforced. Justices should be required to disclose gifts, refrain from public political activity and recuse themselves from cases in which they or their spouses have financial or other conflicts of interest. Every other federal judge is bound by an enforceable code of conduct, and there is no reason for the Supreme Court to be exempt.
Tiff’s Twitter Gift Link Tweet. 07/29/2024.
I 100 percent agree with want 3. It’s ridiculous that the highest court does not have to full the same rules as the lower court judges. I mean, for real, that should be what everyone wants considering once the Supreme’s rule on something, that becomes the “law” of the land.
All three of these reforms are supported by a majority of Americans— as well as conservative and liberal constitutional scholars. And I want to thank the bipartisan Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States for its insightful analysis, which informed some of these proposals.
We can and must prevent the abuse of presidential power. We can and must restore the public’s faith in the Supreme Court. We can and must strengthen the guardrails of democracy.
In America, no one is above the law. In America, the people rule.
Tiff’s Twitter Gift Link Tweet. 07/29/2024.
Tune in as I deliver remarks and commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act during a visit to the LBJ Presidential Library. https://t.co/bh5BVMFogU
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 29, 2024
Remarks by President Biden Commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act | Austin, TX; the YouTube is 33 minutes and 41 seconds long. President Biden begins his remarks at the 7 minute and 54 second mark.
We can and we must protect and expand civil rights in America.
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 30, 2024
We can and we must prevent the abuse of Presidential power and restore faith in the Supreme Court.
We can and we must strengthen the guardrails of democracy. pic.twitter.com/Nu1VNTcJEF
Imagine that moment and ask yourself: What do we want to be? We can and must be protected and expand our civil rights in America. We can and must prevent the abuse of presidential power and restore faith in the Supreme Court. We can and must strengthen the guardrails of democracy.
Remarks by President Biden Commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act | Austin, TX; the YouTube is 33 minutes and 41 seconds long. 07/29/2024.
From Tuesday…
I’ve always admired the purpose President Johnson found in public service.
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 30, 2024
His philosophy was simple: In a Great Society, no one is left behind.
It was great to join so many friends and distinguished guests gathered at the LBJ Presidential Library to honor that legacy. pic.twitter.com/PcBDmY9nKd
As a kid coming up, I always admired President Johnson for his public service, whether it was a school teacher in Southern Tex- — south Texas; a master of the United States Senate; a historic vice president and president. His philosophy was simple: In a great society — in a great society, no one — no one should be left behind. He’d say — (applause) — it’s time for us to come to see that every American gets a decent break and a fair chance to make good.
Remarks by President Biden Commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act | Austin, TX; the YouTube is 33 minutes and 41 seconds long. 07/29/2024.
From the White House…
07/29/2024:
This is an open thread
