Levin delays vote for Supreme Court chief, citing claims against top candidate

Justice minister says more time needed to examine accusations that Isaac Amit behaved inappropriately in legal affairs tied to a real estate property he owns

Jeremy Sharon is The Times of Israel’s legal affairs and settlements reporter

Justice Minister Yariv Levin (left) attends a plenum session in the Knesset on November 13, 2024. (Chaim Goldbergl/Flash90); Acting Supreme Court President Justice Isaac Amit at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, November 14, 2024 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Justice Minister Yariv Levin (left) attends a plenum session in the Knesset on November 13, 2024. (Chaim Goldbergl/Flash90); Acting Supreme Court President Justice Isaac Amit at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, November 14, 2024 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Justice Minister Yariv Levin told the High Court of Justice on Wednesday that he was postponing a hearing of the Judicial Selection Committee that was to have been held on Thursday to appoint a new Supreme Court president.

Levin, who has long sought to prevent the vote from taking place through various means, said he was doing so to examine claims that acting Supreme Court President Isaac Amit, who is the primary candidate for the position of president, behaved inappropriately in legal matters related to a real estate property he owns.

The Supreme Court in its capacity as the High Court of Justice ordered Levin in December to call a vote in the Judicial Selection Committee and appoint a new president of the court by Thursday, January 16. Levin has resisted filling the position for 15 months, since he opposes the appointment of Amit, a liberal, as permanent president, but does not have the votes in the committee to get a conservative candidate appointed.

On Monday, the Ynet news website published a report that said Amit had not notified the court system of potential conflicts of interest he had in civil lawsuits to which he was a party dealing with a property he owns in Tel Aviv with his brother. It also said he had heard cases presented in court by a lawyer’s office that represented him in one of the civil cases. It said he appeared in the relevant paperwork under his previous last name, Goldfreind.

The report also alleged that Amit was directly involved in a selection committee that considered the advancement of a judge who presided over a case regarding the Tel Aviv apartment.

The Judicial Authority defended Amit, saying that due to power of attorney arrangements, he was represented in the cases by others and had no knowledge of the proceedings, and had made no attempt to conceal his identity. It also said Amit had had no knowledge of the potential conflicts of interest until he was approached by the outlet on the matter.

Writing to the court on behalf of Levin, attorney Tzion Amir said that the Judicial Selection Committee had to conduct “a thorough clarification” of the claims against Amit. He said Levin requested on Tuesday that the Justice Ministry’s legal adviser examine the claims and that the legal adviser told Levin on Wednesday that she needed more time to look into the matter and present her findings to the committee.

Amir said that as a result, “it will not be possible to bring the issue of the election of a Supreme Court president to the Judicial Selection Committee before the necessary facts have been established.”

Amir wrote that there was “no choice but to postpone the date for convening the committee.”

Following Levin’s letter, the High Court ordered the attorney general to file a response by 10 a.m. Thursday morning.

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, which successfully petitioned the High Court to force Levin to call a vote on electing a new president, slammed Levin for what it said were his ongoing efforts to “avoid complying with the High Court order” by “inventing investigative authorities he does not have,” and called on the justice minister to convene the committee immediately.

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