Knesset to advance Levin and Sa’ar’s revived judicial overhaul starting Wednesday

The Knesset Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee will begin procedures on Wednesday to revive Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s judicial overhaul program in the new format he announced last week.

A previous bill at the heart of Levin’s original judicial overhaul plan that would have given the ruling coalition almost complete control over all judicial appointments was voted through committee in March 2023, but was never brought for its final two readings in the Knesset due to massive public protests and backlash. It has remained frozen ever since.

The committee on Wednesday will deliberate and vote on whether to withdraw the original bill from the Knesset plenum and bring it back to the committee for renewed deliberation and amendments to its provisions.

The hearing will not, however, deal with the content of the new proposals themselves.

Levin’s new proposals, made together with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, would change the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee and reduce the influence of the judiciary on that panel; create a distinctive method for passing quasi-constitutional Basic Laws; make Basic Laws immune to judicial review; and make judicial review over regular legislation significantly more difficult.