President Joe Biden outlines Supreme Court changes at LBJ Library in Austin ahead of trip to Houston

AUSTIN, Texas (KTRK) -- In his first public appearance since dropping his reelection bid, President Joe Biden called for a major change during a speech at the Lyndon B. Johnson Library honoring the 60th anniversary of civil rights.

He said an extreme Supreme Court and its recent rulings threaten to undermine civil rights.

"We do not celebrate these laws as part of our past but as critical components of our future," Biden said. We can and must strengthen the guardrails of our democracy. We must remind ourselves who we are: we are the United States of America."

The president outlined what he wants to accomplish before he leaves office:

• A constitutional amendment barring presidential immunity for crimes committed in office.

• Supreme Court term limits of 18 years.

• A binding code of ethics for Supreme Court justices.

"My fellow Americans, based on my experience, I am certain we need these reforms," Biden said. "We need these reforms to restore trust in the courts and preserve checks and balances that are vital to our democracy."

With those changes, he said, America can work to fulfill its promise.

"Fundamentally more fair. Fundamentally more just, and most importantly fundamentally more consistent with our founding principles," Biden said.

The program also included a partial reading of the Civil Rights Act, signed 60 years ago, by actor Bryan Cranston, who won a Tony award for playing former President Lyndon B. Johnson on Broadway.

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