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Is Judicial Reform a Threat to Israeli Democracy?

(CAMERA) Alex Safian - While critics charge that proposed judicial reforms in Israel foreshadow the demise of Israeli democracy, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who was formerly Deputy Chairman of the Israel Bar Association, told Army Radio that "The situation of 'rule by judges' is not democracy. The time has come for clear legislation to define the authority of the attorney general, who is supposed to advise, and not make decisions instead of the government." The United Kingdom is among the most influential parliamentary democracies in the world. According to the UK's Supreme Court web site: "Unlike some Supreme Courts in other parts of the world, the UK Supreme Court does not have the power to 'strike down' legislation passed by the UK Parliament." Proposed reforms of the judicial appointments system have also come under severe criticism, although among democratic countries, there is not a single one in which the method of appointing judges is similar to the system in Israel, where sitting justices and representatives of the Bar Association have a majority in the appointments committee. In 30 countries including the U.S. and France, the judiciary has no place in the appointment of judges. The writer is the Associate Director and Research Director of CAMERA.
2023-01-16 00:00:00
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