Israeli Judicial Committee Appoints Around 70 Judges After 18-Month Delay

The Judicial Selection Committee in Israel appointed approximately 70 judges and registrars to traffic, youth, family, and magistrate courts on Sunday, ending a year-and-a-half hiatus during which the Justice Minister did not convene the committee. The appointments were unanimously approved by all committee members.

In parallel, all presidents of magistrate courts were promoted to future district court judgeships, ensuring their advancement upon completing their current terms. Among these presidents is Menachem Mizrahi, head of the Central District Magistrate Courts, known for his involvement in the "Catergate" case against associates of the Prime Minister, whose rulings were frequently overturned by the district court.

The decision to promote the magistrate court presidents was supported by coalition members and judges on the committee, while opposition MK Karin Elharar from Yesh Atid and representatives from the Israel Bar Association abstained. Bar Association representative Adv. Yonit Kalmanovitch emphasized the need to evaluate each candidate individually and suggested that any automatic promotion system should be legislated rather than decided by the committee.

Following the meeting, MK Karin Elharar commented that the appointments were overdue but welcomed the selection of over 60 professional judges for youth, family, and traffic courts. She abstained from voting on the magistrate court presidents' promotion in protest over the continued vacancy of district court judgeships in central Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, highlighting the urgent need for judges in those areas. She criticized the committee for making decisions that are not immediately implemented and that constrain the next committee.

The High Court of Justice had previously ordered Justice Minister Yariv Levin to appoint judges to district courts, but Levin only published candidates for Haifa and Beersheba courts, delaying appointments for other districts. The Movement for Quality Government in Israel filed a contempt of court petition against Levin over this delay.