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Synopsis

The President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, has proposed significant reforms for the SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States), including the disclosure of gifts by SCOTUS judges and other measures like refraining from carrying out political activities amongst public and recusing from cases involving conflict of interest, to maintain judicial integrity.

The move comes during growing concerns about the judiciary’s virtue. The proposals were put forth while the President sharply criticised the "extreme opinions" of the Supreme Court. The White House outlined the proposal, which is unlikely to gain traction in a divided Congress with only 99 days remaining before the election. The White House outlined the proposal, which is unlikely to gain traction in a divided Congress with only 99 days remaining before the election.

President Biden took to X, stating “I propose Supreme Court Justices be required to disclose gifts, refrain from public political activity, and recuse themselves from cases in which they or their spouses have conflicts of interest. The Court is not self-policing. So, it's time for a mandatory Code of Conduct.”

The proposed reforms aim to introduce 18-year term limits for justices and enforce stricter ethics rules, including mandatory disclosure of gifts and restrictions on political activities.These proposals follow a series of contentious decisions by the conservative-majority court, including overturning the constitutional right to abortion and granting broad immunity to presidents for "official acts.”

In a speech delivered in Austin, Texas, to mark the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, Biden condemned the court's recent rulings, arguing they have eroded legal and civil rights protections. He accused the court of being "mired in a crisis of ethics" and emphasised the need for reforms to preserve democratic checks and balances.

Earlier, Biden penned an article in the Washington Post, stating that the current state of the court undermines public confidence in its decisions, particularly those affecting personal freedoms.

Notably, in India the Supreme Court judges cannot accept gifts or hostility except from family members, close relatives and friends, have to recuse from cases involving close relatives and friends, refrain from expressing political views, among other rules of conduct, as adopted by the Supreme Court of India in its full meeting on ‘Restatement of Values of Judicial life’ on May 7, 1997.