Biden’s Supreme Court commission releases final report

WASHINGTON — The commission tasked by President Joe Biden with studying potential changes to the Supreme Court has released its final draft report, a cautious take on proposals for expanding the court and setting possible term limits. “Indeed, in recent years, we have seen democratic governments ‘regress’ or ‘backslide’ with respect to judicial independence,” the court wrote in its report released Monday. “This has come about through electoral majorities using their power to restructure previously independent institutions, including courts, to favor the political agendas of those governments.” The makeup of the Supreme Court has come into even sharper focus following a ban on abortions after six weeks in Texas and arguments last week on a Mississippi case in which the 6-3 conservative-leaning court signaled a willingness either to overturn or substantially roll back abortion rights enshrined in the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and its 1992 ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which reaffirmed Roe. During the presidential campaign Biden repeatedly sidestepped questions on expanding the court, and he hasn’t said if he supports adding seats or making other changes, including imposing term limits.