Levin signals intent to quickly pass highly contentious law giving government control over most judicial appointments

Jeremy Sharon is The Times of Israel’s legal affairs and settlements reporter

Justice Minister Yariv Levin (left) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pictured during a vote in the Knesset on December 31, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Justice Minister Yariv Levin (left) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pictured during a vote in the Knesset on December 31, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Justice Minister Yariv Levin signals his desire to swiftly pass into the law a highly contentious bill which would give the coalition control over almost all judicial appointments, saying the “time has come” to approve the measure in Knesset.

Levin’s comments, caught on tape and published by Kan News and Channel 13, were made during a meeting earlier today of the Ministerial Committee on Legislation, which was discussing a separate bill to have the Knesset plenum elect the president of the Supreme Court, instead of the Judicial Selection Committee.

Levin said he opposed that bill, since it would contravene his planned far-reaching legislation — at the the heart of his controversial judicial overhaul agenda —  to give the government a majority on the Judicial Selection Committee, and thus control of judicial appointments, including the election of Supreme Court president.

“It contradicts the bill [to change the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee], which is ready for its second and third readings in the plenum, which is certainly possible that we will advance,” Levin told Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi during the Ministerial Committee for Legislation meeting.

Karhi responded that this far more dramatic bill, which has passed all the stages of the legislative process ahead of its final readings in Knesset, has been frozen for a year and a half, and expressed doubt that it could be advanced now.

“The time has come because, as we know, the deadline for the order is close,” replied Levin, in reference to an order by the High Court of Justice to Levin to hold a vote on electing a new Supreme Court president by January 16.

Levin currently lacks the votes on the committee to have his choice for court president elected, and a vote in the committee in its current format would likely see liberal justice Isaac Amit, who Levin opposes, made head of the court.

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