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 Supreme Court and our democracy.
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.
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.
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.
All three of these reforms are supported by a majority of Americans—as well as conservative and liberal constitutional scholars. In America, no one is above the law. In America, the people rule.
@CNN live Ukraine coverage has dropped off substantially since the events in Israel and Gaza. Does every anchor immediately jump to the largest story? Where’s the continuity in that? How long will America fund a war they can’t see?
And the Notre Dame fan said, “Lord, during most of the game I noticed 22 footprints in the grass, but during the most difficult times I noticed only 20, were you carrying us then?”
And the Lord sayeth, “Lol, no buddy your coach sent ten dudes out.”
Chung Ju Yeong, born in 1915 to impoverished Korean farmers in what is now North Korea, aspired to be a teacher. However, the lack of access to higher education seemed insurmountable. He fled home multiple times as a teenager, learning various trades through odd jobs. Despite his attempts, his father always brought him back to work on the family farm. In his final escapade, he sold his father's cow for a train ticket to Seoul.
In Seoul, Chung started as a deliveryman at a rice store. His exceptional performance led to a promotion in just six months, handling the store's accounting and honing his business acumen. In 1937, the ailing store owner handed over ownership to Chung. Business prospered until 1939 when Japanese-imposed rice rationing forced him to close.
After returning home disheartened, Chung soon found himself back in Seoul. He invested his savings in a small garage, entering the automobile repair industry. Within a few years, his garage employed 70 people and thrived. Yet, in 1943, Japanese forces coerced him to merge his garage with a steel plant to support the war effort, once again causing him to lose his business.
Following Korea's liberation in 1946, Chung utilized his remaining savings to establish Hyundai, anticipating a significant opportunity for national reconstruction and industrialization. His gamble paid off, propelling him to become South Korea's wealthiest individual.
In 1998, Chung sent 1,001 cows through the DMZ to North Korea as repayment for the single cow he had taken from his father to finance his journey south. A spokesperson noted, "He has always been thinking that he owes something to the cows."
When asked about the key to his success, he responded, "Our people succeeded because they devoted their enterprising spirits. They used the forces of other mind. Conviction... creates indomitable efforts. This is the key to (true) miracles... Man's potential is limitless."
I’ve formed a new Cancer Cabinet, which will be convened in the coming weeks. They will drive the whole-of-government effort to unleash every possibility within our power to end cancer as we know it.