High Court hears petitions demanding justice minister make overdue judicial appointments

A hearing in the High Court of Justice begins on petitions against Justice Minister Yariv Levin, demanding that he convene the Judicial Selection Committee to fill dozens of vacancies on judicial benches around the country.

There are currently 51 judicial vacancies on the country’s various magistrates’ and district courts, a number that will rise to 67 by the end of the year, but Levin has refused to fill them.

Following the last hearing on the petitions earlier this month, the three-justice panel asked Levin to submit a timeline to the court for making the appointments by May 7, but he told the court in response that he was willing only to make appointments to the magistrates’ courts and make temporary appointments to the district courts.

Levin lacks a majority on the Judicial Selection Committee to guarantee his preferred candidates can get appointed to serve as judges on these courts.

Petitioners have argued his decision not to convene the committee is an unlawful veto over the judicial appointments process, although Levin asserts that the authority to convene the committee lies only with him as the chairman of the panel.