Supreme Court chief says Justice Minister Levin has refused to meet for 6 months over judicial appointments

Acting Supreme Court President Isaac Amit calls on Justice Minister Yariv Levin to meet with him in order to advance key appointments in the judiciary, saying that Levin has refused to meet with either him or his predecessor for half a year.

Since Levin’s judicial overhaul stalled with the outbreak of war following the October 7 atrocities, he has refused to appoint a new Supreme Court president or fill open seats on the Supreme Court, among other moves against the judiciary authority.

Writing to Levin, Amit says that an appointment committee needs to be established for appointing court presidents and senior judges; registrars for the Supreme Court and the National Labor Court need to be appointed; and that members of different statutory committees need to be selected, all of which need cooperation between himself and the justice minister.

“This situation is directly harming the proper operations of the legal system and the interests of those before the courts,” Amit tells Levin in his letter.

“The time has come to establish joint channels of communication and work between us and to return to an organized and professional work program as existed in the past,” says Amit, in order to advance “the joint goal of advancing the good of the system and providing a positive legal service to the public.”

“A source close to Levin” said in response that “Justice Amit can send the letter to himself by return mail. Indeed, the time has come to work without orders and with agreement. There is no such thing as joint work when convenient and orders when convenient.”

The comment refers to the High Court of Justice’s decision on a petition, ruling that Levin is obligated to call a vote in the Judicial Selection Committee to appoint a permanent Supreme Court president after refusing to do so for 12 months.

Amit was not a member of the three-justice panel, including two conservatives, which ruled unanimously that Levin had exceeded his authority in refusing to call a vote for the position. He is however likely to be appointed as permanent court president once a vote is held.