From the Liveblog of
Sunday, November 5, 2023
After months of refusal, Justice Minister Levin agrees to convene judge-selecting panel
Jeremy Sharon is The Times of Israel’s legal affairs and settlements reporter
After over 10 months in office, Justice Minister Yariv Levin agrees to convene the Judicial Selection Committee and says he will present it with “decisions over which there is broad consensus.”
A spokesperson for the minister says this means he will work towards finding judicial appointments that can be approved with broad consensus by the committee.
Attorneys representing Levin in petitions to the High Court against his refusal to convene the panel write to the court that he has agreed to bring the committee together within 15 days, adding that he is doing so “to avoid dispute.”
Levin has refused to convene the crucial committee, which appoints all judges, due to his stated desire to first change the composition of the panel to give the government control over appointments. This was one of the most central and controversial aims of the hard-right government as part of its judicial overhaul plan, which has been put aside since Hamas’s October 7 onslaught and the ensuing war.
A hearing at the High Court of Justice on petitions demanding that the court order Levin to convene the committee is currently set for November 12, but could now be postponed due to the justice minister’s announcement.
