During the High Court hearing on the law to change the Judicial Selection Committee's composition, Supreme Court President Isaac Amit warned that if judges are selected only by political actors, the entire judiciary will fundamentally shift within 15 years and every judge will carry a 'political chip,' according to Israeli media.
Supreme Court President Isaac Amit escalated his rhetoric during Sunday's landmark hearing on the judicial selection reform, warning that the proposed change would transform Israel's judiciary within a generation.
Speaking before an expanded High Court of Justice panel — originally 11 justices but later expanded to the full 15-justice bench — Amit said: "Every year judges will be born to us who are selected only by political actors. Within 15 years the justice system in Israel will change completely; every judge will have a political chip." The remarks, reported by N12, came as the court debated the Levin-Saar compromise law, which removes Israel Bar Association representatives from the Judicial Selection Committee and eliminates the judges' veto over Supreme Court appointments.
Amit's warning follows a series of earlier statements in the same session, including his declaration that the court has authority to review and invalidate Basic Laws. Earlier Sunday, Amit also suggested removing two politicians from the committee as an alternative to replacing the Bar Association representatives. The hearing is the latest chapter in a months-long constitutional confrontation between the government and the judiciary over the balance of power in judicial appointments.
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