Constitution Committee Chairman MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism) on Sunday called any justice who rules on how judges are appointed in a democratic state, and on a Basic Law passed by 68 MKs, a "criminal." His statement came as the High Court sitting with an expanded panel heard petitions against the judicial selection reform he co-authored.
MK Simcha Rothman, the chairman of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee and a lead architect of the judicial selection reform, issued a sharp condemnation Sunday as the High Court of Justice heard petitions against the law. In a statement released at 14:25, Rothman said: "A judge who rules on how judges are appointed in a democratic state, and on a Basic Law passed by the Knesset with a majority of 68 MKs, is a criminal!"
The comment escalates the rhetoric around the hearing, which opened at 09:08 with an expanded 11-justice panel — the same format used during the 2024 reasonableness-standard debate. As The Zioneer reported earlier Sunday, Supreme Court President Isaac Amit warned the hearing that the reform constitutes a "regime change." Rothman's language directly challenges the court's authority to review Basic Laws, a constitutional question central to the petitions.
The statement does not call for specific action, and it remains unclear whether Rothman is expressing a personal opinion or signaling a coalition legislative response if the court strikes down the amendment.
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