New chief justice Amit will be tasked with defending judiciary’s independence, predecessor says

Retired Supreme Court Justice Uzi Vogelman, who served as acting Supreme Court president until October last year, criticizes the government for boycotting the swearing-in ceremony for incoming Supreme Court President Isaac Amit, panning legislation proposed by the government to change the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee and its appointments mechanisms.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vogelman tells Amit he will now have the task of defending the independence of the judiciary and the separation of powers in Israel, as previous generations of Supreme Court presidents have done.

“It is an inheritance that all Supreme Court presidents and its judges have nurtured and preserved from generation to generation, and it includes a commitment to the rule of law, uncompromising defense of human rights, and protection of the independence of the judicial branch [of government] and the separation of powers,” says Vogelman.

“I have no doubt that you will continue to protect this inheritance while protecting the standing of the Supreme Court and democracy in Israel.”

Vogelman addresses Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s newly proposed legislation to change the judicial appointments process, saying it would lead to a situation in which the majority of judges in Israel are appointed on a political basis and the process is dominated by politicians.

“The expected harm [to the judiciary] is not restricted to the individual independence of Israeli judges, but also threatens the institutional independence of the judicial branch in its entirety, since if the proposed law is passed, the other branches of government would have unrestrained power to dictate the identity of judges and the composition of courts, which would harm the institutional independence of the judicial authority,” says Vogelman.