Right-wing groups petition Supreme Court to cancel Isaac Amit’s appointment to court president

Right-wing organizations Lavi and Im Tirtzu have filed a petition to the High Court of Justice asking it to cancel Justice Isaac Amit’s appointment as Supreme Court president.

Amit, who was elected by the Judicial Selection Committee on January 27 after 16 months without a permanent president, is set to be sworn in at a ceremony at the President’s Residence next week.

Justice Minister Yariv Levin and other members of the right-wing governing coalition have said they will refuse to recognize Amit as chief justice and will refuse to work with him, citing allegations that he had presided over several cases in which he had conflicts of interest.

The claims were reviewed by the Judicial Selection Committee before it voted to appoint Amit to the Supreme Court presidency.

Citing the conflict of interest allegations, the petitioners tell the High Court they believe Amit was elected “hastily” and “without a thorough review of a series of serious incidents.”

“The committee blatantly chose to give exclusive weight solely to the consideration of appointing a permanent president, while completely ignoring considerations of moral integrity and public trust,” the petition claims, asserting that he was not as thoroughly vetted as previous picks for the role had been.

“It is impossible to reconcile the obligation to uphold ‘strict standards of integrity, professionalism, fairness, and impartiality’ with the accelerated ‘review’ conducted in Justice Amit’s case,” the petition adds, quoting remarks made by Amit in the past.