President Joe Biden’s recent decision to propose sweeping reforms to the Supreme Court marks a turning point. He had previously distanced himself from such appeals to overhaul the Court. This decision, however, to publicly embrace a slate of reforms, signals a shift in mainstream politics.

Biden proposed three reforms for the high court: 18-year term limits, limiting presidential immunity and creating a code of conduct to be enforced by Congress.

Thomas Keck, Michael O. Sawyer Chair of Constitutional Law and Politics, doubts Biden’s proposals will pass in the current deeply divided Congress.

But he points out that they could create an opening for change later on. Harris has already said she backs the proposals.

“The point of it, in the short term, is symbolic,” Keck tells Al Jazeera, emphasizing Biden’s public image as a “moderate Democrat and institutionalist.”

“But Biden now getting on board, in theory, helps Democratic members of Congress and Democratic supporters in the electorate get used to these ideas.”

In the UPI article “Biden's Supreme Court proposals bring reform debate to forefront,” Keck says, “There are recurring periods, for whatever set of reasons, where the court ends up more sharply out of line with public views in the big picture.”

“We are in that period right now. We have sort of a permanent Republican majority on the Supreme Court but Democrats have won seven of the last eight popular votes. Every time that's been true in the past and led to sharp political contrasts, there have been calls for reforming the Supreme Court,” says Keck.