Justice Yitzhak Amit appointed Supreme Court President, ending 15-month stalemate
Ending a 15-month stalemate, Israel’s Judicial Appointments Committee selected Justice Yitzhak Amit as President of the Supreme Court on Sunday evening despite a boycott by Justice Minister Yariv Levin and two other committee members from the governing coalition.
Israeli Supreme Court Justice Yitzhak Amit at a hearing in Jerusalem on Aug. 4, 2024. Photo by Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS-IL
In a congratulatory message, Israeli President Isaac Herzog tweeted, “For decades and in various instances, Justice Amit has contributed greatly to the Israeli judicial system, and I am confident that his many skills and rich experience will play a significant role in leading the Supreme Court and the judiciary with responsibility, discretion, and dedication to the benefit of the State of Israel, and in the very important task of increasing public confidence in the judicial system.”
Herzog added, “The judicial system in general and the Supreme Court in particular are a critical part of our democratic fabric and the protection of human and civil rights. We must protect them with all due vigilance.”
The committee also approved the appointment of Justice Noam Solberg as Deputy Court President.
The appointments of judges and court officials have been paralyzed for two years as the governing coalition pursued a deeply controversial judicial reform initiative that sent thousands of Israelis to the streets for protests and counter-protests. The initiative was frozen with the formation of a unity government following Hamas’s October 7 attack.
But Justice Minister Yariv Levin and other officials want to advance the initiative after working out a compromise with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on the makeup of the committee, which Levin chairs. However, the proposed changes require Knesset legislation. Levin has been seeking to promote the more conservative Justice Yosef Elron. Levin has refused to convene the committee.
“As long as a Supreme Court President is not elected through a proper process according to law, it will not be possible to carry out actions that require joint work between the Supreme Court President and the Minister of Justice,” Levin said in a statement.
The committee’s opposition party member, MK Karen Elharrar of Yesh Atid said, “Today we appointed a Supreme Court President more than a year late. The Judicial Selection Committee did historic justice after months of fighting Minister Levin’s efforts to silence, slander, and overthrow him. The appointment of Judge Yitzhak Amit as Supreme Court President is much more than a technical decision – it is a clear statement that the attempts to control the judicial system have failed.”
On Friday, the High Court of Justice ordered Levin for the fourth time to convene the meeting. Joining Levin in the boycott were Minister of Settlements and National Missions Orit Strook and Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak Kroizer. To comply with the court order, Israel Courts Administration Judge Tzahi Ouziel, who serves as the secretary of the committee, convened the committee instead.
The overhaul includes changes to the system for appointing and removing judges, giving the Knesset the ability to override certain High Court rulings, changing the way legal advisors are appointed to government ministries, and restricting the ability of judges to apply the legal principle of “reasonableness.”
Supporters of the legal overhaul say they wanted to end years of judicial overreach while opponents describe the proposals as anti-democratic.
Despite Amit’s elevation, the stalemate leaves the 15-member Court short three justices.
Supreme Court President Esther Hayut and Justice Anat Baron retired in October 2023 when they both reached the age of 70, the maximum age for Israeli judges. No successors were appointed. Justice Uzi Vogelman who was serving as Acting Court President, stepped down from the court in October after turning 70. Amit, 66 has been serving as interim Court President since.
