Supreme Court Justice Yael Vilner Chosen for Judicial Selection Committee

Supreme Court Justice Yael Vilner has been elected to serve on the Judicial Selection Committee, replacing Justice Dafna Barak Erez, who completed her three-year term. The decision was made today by the plenum of Supreme Court justices, who selected Vilner for a three-year term. Vilner, an Orthodox nationalist judge serving on the Supreme Court since 2017, will join Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit and Deputy President Noam Sohlberg as the court's representatives on the committee. Vilner's selection was based on seniority order among Supreme Court justices, as Justice David Mintz was slated to be chosen before her. However, Basic Law: Judiciary mandates that at least one of the Supreme Court's representatives on the committee must be a woman. This legal requirement determined Vilner's selection, despite Mintz being more senior. This ensures continued female representation among the three Supreme Court delegates to the body responsible for selecting judges in Israel. Vilner's election comes at a time when the composition and working methods of the Judicial Selection Committee are central to public and legal debate. The committee is responsible for appointing judges to various courts, and significant appointments to the Supreme Court are expected in the coming years, alongside the need to fill vacant positions. The change in representation between Vilner and Barak Erez occurs upon the completion of the legally mandated term, with Vilner expected to serve on the committee for the next three years.