High Court hears petitions demanding Levin fill dozens of empty judicial seats

The High Court of Justice begins a hearing on petitions demanding that Justice Minister Yariv Levin fill dozens of judicial seats on courts around the country that are empty due to the justice’s minister’s refusal to convene the Judicial Selection Committee for more than a year.

The petitioners accuse Levin of acting out of ulterior motives to stymie the appointment of judges, and of exceeding his authority as chairman of the Judicial Selection Committee with the power to convene or not convene the committee, to grant himself an effective veto over all appointments.

The three Supreme Court Justices who serve on the Judicial Selection Committee themselves accused Levin last month of holding up all appointments and of using his power as chairman to veto judicial candidates.

The petitioners point out that Levin’s refusal to convene the committee has led to a situation in which there are 51 vacancies on courts around the country, which will rise to 66 by the end of the year, creating a severe burden on the judicial system, especially when combined with the delays brought about by the recent war with Iran.

Levin’s refusal to appoint judges “harms the independence and functioning of the judiciary, causes enormous damage to the litigating public in Israel, and harms public trust in the authorities and harms the public interest,” asserts the Movement for Quality Government, one of the petitioners.