In Austin to commemorate Civil Rights Act, Biden calls for sweeping Supreme Court reform

From KUT News:

President Biden called for sweeping changes to the Supreme Court and a constitutional amendment limiting presidential immunity during remarks Monday commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act in Austin.

During his address before 1,000 people at the LBJ Presidential Library, Biden repeated calls for court reform he had outlined Monday morning in an op-ed in The Washington Post.

He emphasized the importance of the Supreme Court in furthering LBJ’s work in civil rights, praising LBJ for “challenging the court to live up to its constitutional responsibility.”

Biden pointed to LBJ’s nomination of Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court justice, and said LBJ “aggressively defend[ed] civil rights throughout the courts.”

“But now, we live in a different era,” Biden said. “In recent years, extreme opinions that the Supreme Court has handed down have undermined long-established civil rights principles and protections.”

He called for a system in which the president appoints a justice every two years for an 18-year term, as well as a binding code of conduct that requires justices to disclose gifts, refrain from public political activity and recuse themselves from cases in which there are conflicts of interest.

Biden also called for a constitutional amendment that would limit the immunity presidents now have following a recent Supreme Court ruling, which he called a “dangerous precedent.”

“We’re a nation of laws, not kings and dictators,” he said in his speech.

Before Biden took the stage, Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston, who portrayed LBJ in the 2016 film All the Way, and United Nations ambassador Andrew Young commemorated LBJ’s legacy.

President Lyndon Johnson signed the landmark legislation on July 2, 1964. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

“Last year, President Biden said civil rights are ‘the unfinished fight of America,'” LBJ Foundation President and CEO Mark Updegrove said in a statement before the event. “We look forward to commemorating this milestone with the President and hearing his vision for how we can continue to make real the promise of America for all of its citizens.”

Updegrove told KUT that Biden’s visit is also significant because it comes a decade after four U.S. presidents marked the law’s 50th anniversary. Then-President Barack Obama, as well as former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter attended a Civil Rights Summit at the LBJ Library.

“It was one of the great moments in the life of this institution and our hope is this event with Joe Biden will add to that tradition,” he said.

The visit caps off weeks of political chaos

A planned visit to Austin earlier in the month was postponed after the attempted assassination of former President Trump.

The new visit comes just over a week after the president announced he would no longer seek a second term in the White House. On Wednesday, he addressed the nation from the Oval Office, saying that stepping aside was the “best way to unite” the country.

“It’s been the honor of my life to serve as your president,” he said, “but in defense of democracy, which is at stake, I think it’s more important than any title.”

Congressman Lloyd Doggett was among the attendees. The Austin Democrat was one of the first lawmakers to call on Biden to drop his bid for a second term after his June 27 debate with Trump.

“So appropriate that President Biden is being honored as a civil rights champion for his many accomplishments. Though the circumstances may differ, like President Johnson, he has put country over ego,” Doggett said in a statement. “His selfless decision to protect our democracy from an authoritarian takeover has cemented his legacy as a true statesman and patriot while offering renewed hope to all of us.”

Protesters gather nearby

Around the same time as the LBJ event, a couple dozen protesters with the Austin for Palestine Coalition gathered at Eastwoods Neighborhood Park for a car caravan protest against Biden’s handling of Israel’s war in Gaza. Demonstrators sat in cars decorated with anti-war signs and Palestinian flags. Soon after, the cars left to drive around the LBJ Library.

Zainab Haider, one of the protesters with the coalition, said Biden “has blood on his hands,” and that the president attending this event to “try to repair his legacy is unacceptable.”

“He has had more than ample time to bring about a cease-fire,” Haider said. “We have lost complete faith in him, but it’s not too late for him to do the right thing.”

The coalition is calling on the U.S. to stop supplying weapons to Israel and for a full cease-fire in the conflict that has lasted over nine months. The group is also advocating for more aid to Gaza, which is facing widespread famine, according to the United Nations.

“We need more people to step up and realize that the United States is the entity that is funding Israel,” Haider said. “We can stop it if enough people rise up.”

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