In a surprise move, the White House has unveiled proposals to significantly overhaul the Supreme Court without consulting key congressional Democrats, including Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin. Axios reports that the lack of coordination with Capitol Hill indicates that President Biden's SCOTUS proposals are more of a pre-election messaging push rather than a legislative priority.

President Biden's proposed changes include operational reforms and calling on Congress to pass a constitutional amendment that would limit presidents' immunity from federal prosecutions. While ethical concerns regarding Supreme Court justices have mostly focused on Republican appointees, Biden's proposals have been widely embraced by Democrats.

While the House Democratic leadership argues that the White House often bypasses consulting lawmakers on policy rollouts, the lack of coordination with key Democrats raises questions about the practicality of these proposals. It seems that Biden's plan to overhaul the Supreme Court was first discussed in a call with Progressive Caucus members earlier this month, as he sought to salvage his candidacy after dropping out of the re-election race and backing Harris.

As the speculation around President Biden's candidacy consumes Capitol Hill, House Democrats are hoping to shift the focus to the Supreme Court. Recent controversial rulings by the court have deepened the political tailspin for Democrats, and they believe that intense scrutiny of these decisions could help rally support and potentially secure Democratic majorities in Congress.

One of the key issues House Democrats plan to address is the Supreme Court's ruling that grants legal immunity to presidents for "official acts." This push is part of their strategy to position themselves as a counterbalance to conservative control of the federal government, particularly in the wake of the Trump era.

However, President Biden and his top aides are reportedly resisting pressure to exert influence on Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer to retire. According to sources familiar with the situation, Biden and White House chief of staff Ron Klain believe that such pressure, whether public or private, would harm the Supreme Court's integrity and potentially backfire.

As the debate over Supreme Court reforms intensifies and the election cycle heats up, the lack of coordination and differing views on pressuring Justice Breyer highlight the challenges faced by the Biden administration. It remains to be seen how these proposals will progress and whether they will gain traction in Congress.