Knesset committee vote to chose candidate for AG oversight group cancelled after deadlock

Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee chairman Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism) cancels a planned vote to choose the Knesset’s representative on the five-member public committee that is responsible for appointing the attorney general and plays a substantial role in her dismissal process as well.

The discussion and vote are first postponed and then cancelled after the coalition fails to agree on a single compromise candidate out of several coalition lawmakers who submitted their candidacies for the role.

The committee comprises a former Supreme Court justice chosen by the president of the Supreme Court with the agreement of the justice minister; a former justice minister or attorney general chosen by the government; an MK chosen by the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee; a representative of the Israel Bar Association (IBA); and a law professor chosen by the deans of Israel’s university law faculties.

Last month, the cabinet voted unanimously in favor of a no-confidence motion against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, in a move designed by the government to hasten her dismissal from office.

The committee is currently missing a former justice minister or attorney general and an MK. Filling these empty spots is a necessary prerequisite to ousting Baharav-Miara, as the cabinet resolution that governs the process explicitly states that the matter must be discussed by the committee before it is brought to the government.

In a statement to the press, a spokesperson for the committee says that “the selection process is starting over” and that a new date for the vote will be set, “which will be published at least two weeks in advance, and nominations will be allowed up to a week before the selection date.”