Government attorneys threaten strike over planned judicial overhaul

A committee representing attorneys who work for the state threaten to go on strike to protest the government’s planned overhaul of the judicial system, the Walla news site reports.

The committee declares a labor dispute today, the first step ahead of a strike, saying that the planned reforms will “significantly impact the work of the attorneys and is expected to cause severe harm to the organization.”

The planned overhaul has drawn intense criticism, even from longtime proponents of judicial reform, and has sparked weekly mass protests and public petitions by various officials, professionals, private companies and other bodies.

The legislative changes advanced by Justice Minister Yariv Levin would severely restrict the High Court’s capacity to strike down laws and government decisions, with an “override clause” enabling the Knesset to re-legislate struck-down laws with a bare majority of 61; give the government complete control over the selection of judges; prevent the court from using a test of “reasonableness” to judge legislation and government decisions; and allow ministers to appoint their own legal advisers, instead of getting counsel from advisers operating under the aegis of the Justice Ministry.