Levin told he’ll be in contempt of court if he doesn’t announce Supreme Court president candidates today

By Jeremy Sharon

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22 September 2024, 3:27 pm

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

Justice Minister Yariv Levin at the Knesset in Jerusalem on September 9, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

MK Karine Elharrar writes to Justice Minister Yariv Levin telling him that he will be “in contempt of court” if he does not announce the names of candidates for president of the Supreme Court in the official state gazette by the end of today, as ordered by the High Court of Justice two weeks ago.

“Any steps different from accepting the [court] ruling and carrying it out would constitute an irresponsible abuse of your position, will contravene the law, and lead to anarchy,” Elharrar tells Levin.

Elharrar is the opposition’s representative on the nine-member Judicial Selection Committee, which Levin chairs and which is responsible for all judicial appointments, including the president of the Supreme Court.

A spokesperson for Levin declined to say whether the minister would publish the candidates’ names by the end of the day.

On September 8, the High Court ruled in a petition against Levin that he was obligated to convene the committee and select a new president, after the minister refused to do so for 11 months owing to his desire to have a conservative justice appointed to the position instead of Justice Isaac Amit, a liberal, who is next in line for the position in accordance with the traditional seniority system.

There is currently a liberal majority on the committee, while appointing a president only requires a simply majority on the panel. Levin has therefore refused to hold a vote since the three coalition representatives on the committee are in the minority, and insisted that the position only be filled with “broad agreement.” The High Court rejected this position, saying it gave him a veto over appointments, which was not the intention of the legislature when the Courts Law was passed.

Levin declared after the ruling that he would boycott the incoming president, although did not say that he would defy the court’s order. Sources close to him have suggested that he is considering legislative workarounds to the ruling.