Justice Neil Gorsuch responded to President Joe Biden‘s proposal for sweeping reforms to the Supreme Court in an interview that aired Sunday, telling Biden to “be careful.”
When asked by Fox News’ Shannon Bream to respond to Biden’s proposal, Gorsuch told her, “You won’t be surprised that I’m not going to address what is now a political issue in a presidential election year. I don’t think that would be helpful.”
But the judge added that for Americans, the independent judiciary “means that if you are unpopular, you can get a fair trial under the law and under the Constitution. If you are in the majority, you don’t need judges and juries to hear you and protect your rights. You are popular.”
The justice system “is there for those times when the spotlight is on you, when the government is after you, and don’t you want an independent judge and a jury of your peers making those decisions?” Gorsuch added.
“And so I say, be careful,” he concluded.
Last month, Biden traveled to Texas, where he announced a series of proposed reforms to the Supreme Court that would impose binding ethics rules on the court and term limits on justices.
The proposals are unlikely to be implemented before Biden’s term ends, but they represent a policy goal for Democrats as several Supreme Court justices have come under increasing scrutiny in recent years.
Last year, ProPublica reported on a series of expensive gifts and trips Judge Clarence Thomas took with billionaire Harlan Crow.
Thomas’ wife, Ginni Thomas, also came under fire for her role in the effort to overturn Donald Trump’s 2020 election defeat.
And earlier this year, Justice Samuel Alito and his wife were at the center of controversy over two flags flying outside their home: an “Appeal to Heaven” flag and an upside-down American flag. Both are symbols used by Trump supporters and were flown during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
Alito denies the flags have anything to do with Trump, claiming the American flag was upside down at his house during an argument between his wife and neighbors.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
