Supreme Court President Warns Judicial Selection Change Could Politicize Judges

Supreme Court President Isaac Amit said during a hearing on petitions against the amendment to the Basic Law that changes the composition of the committee that selects judges, one of the central moves in the judicial overhaul, that the issue should not be viewed on a two- or three-year horizon. He argued that the change could gradually reshape the judiciary through political influence.

Amit said that every year judges would be appointed by a political body alone, and that this would fill the benches of the Supreme Court over time. He warned that within 15 years, Israel’s judicial system could be completely transformed.

He framed the concern as a question about judicial independence, saying, “In the body of every judge a political chip will be implanted, whether he wants it or not. Does this not harm the independence of the judicial system? That is the question.” The hearing focused on petitions challenging the amendment to the Basic Law on the judge-selection committee.