Panel okays bill to end judicial review of ‘reasonableness’ for 1st Knesset plenum vote

A controversial bill to shield elected officials from judicial scrutiny over the “reasonableness” of their decisions can be brought to its first Knesset floor vote as early as Monday, after the parliamentary committee preparing the bill approves it for the plenum, pending objections.

The Knesset’s Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee okays the bill after five discussions held over the past nine days, and over expert and opposition criticism.

A screaming match preceded the vote, with opposition lawmakers yelling “it’s an illegal vote,” and “this is how a dictator behaves” over calls to order from the committee chair.

קרב צעקות בוועדת החוקה: רוטמן החל בהצבעה על צמצום עילת הסבירות – ועורר זעם מצד חברי האופוזיציה. 5 ח"כים הוצאו@yaara_shapira pic.twitter.com/tJI0DTddlZ

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) July 4, 2023

The latest step in the coalition’s planned overhaul of the judiciary, the bill will completely block judicial review or discussion of the “reasonableness” of decisions and appointments made by the cabinet, individual ministers and “other elected officials, as set by law.” The Attorney General’s Office has warned of it opening a “black hole” for transparency.

Committee chair MK Simcha Rothman said yesterday that the bill will only apply to the government and ministers, although he said he did not plan to shut the door to expanding its scope. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier this week ordered Rothman and Justice Minister Yariv Levin — the coalition’s two judicial shakeup champions — to remove mayors from the bill’s purview.