Supreme Court President Justice Yitzhak Amit stated at the start of a hearing that there is no dispute that recent legislation made a significant change to the method of selecting judges in Israel. The statement came as the expanded High Court of Justice convened to hear petitions against the reform of the Judicial Selection Committee.
Supreme Court President Justice Yitzhak Amit opened the morning hearing with an unusually direct acknowledgment: "There is no dispute that the legislation made a significant change in how judges are selected in Israel." The expanded High Court of Justice — sitting with 11 justices — convened this morning to hear a series of petitions against the recent Basic Law amendment that replaced the Israel Bar Association representatives on the Judicial Selection Committee with Knesset appointees, as The Zioneer reported (Sun 07:08 Jerusalem).
Amit's characterization frames the legal debate ahead: the petitioners argue the change undermines the independence of judicial appointments, while the government maintains the reform is a legitimate expression of parliamentary sovereignty. The hearings follow weeks of tensions over judicial appointments — including Justice Minister Yariv Levin's refusal to recognize Amit's own elevation to the presidency, which the court itself had to facilitate and publish.
3 developments
- DevelopingLevin demands immediate Knesset vote to strip High Court of authority over Basic Laws
- DevelopingCritic slams Chief Justice for unilateral Basic Law veto, calls democracy 'flawed'
- DevelopingMK Kastel slams High Court direction in judicial selection hearing as 'scandal'
- DevelopingSaar defends judicial selection reform as 'moderate,' warns radical changes will follow compromise rejection
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