MK Simcha Rothman, chair of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, sharply criticized the High Court of Justice on Sunday for hearing a petition against the law altering the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee. "A judge who deliberates on how judges are appointed in a democratic state and on a Basic Law passed by 68 MKs — that judge is a criminal," Rothman said during a committee session, according to the Knesset broadcast.
MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism), chairman of the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, launched a blistering attack on the High Court of Justice on Sunday morning during his committee's session. Referring to the ongoing hearing in which a full 15-justice panel of the High Court is considering petitions against the Basic Law that reformed the Judicial Selection Committee, Rothman stated: "A judge who deliberates on how judges are appointed in a democratic state and on a Basic Law passed by the Knesset with a majority of 68 MKs — that judge is a criminal."
The hearing, which opened at 09:08 Jerusalem time, is the first full-panel session since the reasonableness standard debate. The law in question, passed in March 2025, replaces Israel Bar Association representatives on the selection committee with Knesset-chosen jurists and eliminates the judges' veto over Supreme Court appointments. Earlier in the hearing, Chief Justice Yitzhak Amit asserted the court's authority to review and invalidate Basic Laws.
Rothman's remarks follow similar criticism from other coalition lawmakers, including MK Moti Kastel (Likud), who earlier called the court's direction a "scandal." The Constitution Committee, which Rothman chairs, was the central forum that advanced the original reform legislation. As The Zioneer reported earlier Sunday, the committee continues to closely monitor the judicial proceedings.
2 developments
- DevelopingSaar defends judicial selection reform as 'moderate,' warns radical changes will follow compromise rejection
- DevelopingJustice Stein questioned on political incentives for judges under selection reform
- DevelopingMK Kastel slams High Court direction in judicial selection hearing as 'scandal'
- DevelopingPresident Amit warns of 'regime change' as High Court debates judicial selection reform
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