TAMPA, FL—Governor Ron DeSantis announced Monday that despite his misgivings about President Biden's plan to transform the Supreme Court, he would agree to Justice term limits if similar checks are placed on Congress.
"Why aren't we doing term limits for members of Congress? That's what would make the biggest difference!" DeSantis said during his Tampa press conference. "[Democrats] don't like the court now because they're on the wrong side of rulings...If they're willing to support term limits for members of Congress, that would be a trade that I would make."
The Florida Governor referenced Biden's op-ed in the Washington Post Monday morning, in which the soon-to-be one-term President proposed ending lifetime appointments to the Supreme Court. Instead, he thinks presidents should appoint a new Justice every two years who will serve for one 18-year term.
DeSantis has advocated for congressional term limits since he took office, integrating that point into his failed presidential platform. During the 2024 Legislative session, Florida Lawmakers approved a resolution calling for a constitutional convention to demand term limits. It was sent to the Secretary of State on April 2nd.
A similar resolution was passed by Florida in 2016 to no avail.
Term limits weren't the only thing Biden hit on: he also touched on the need for a new code of ethics requiring Justices to disclose gifts and avoid overt public activities, the BBC reported. This was likely intended to address situations like Justice Clarence Thomas's, who accepted millions of dollars worth of gifts between 2004 and 2023.
Lastly, he proposed an amendment—the "No One is Above the Law Amendment"— to reverse a July 1st ruling immunizing presidents from criminal prosecution for "official" acts.
"I share our founders' belief that the president's power is limited, not absolute," Biden wrote. "We are a nation of laws - not of kings or dictators".
