Israeli Justice Ministry Appoints 26 Judges and Registrars to Magistrate Courts After Year-and-a-Half Delay

The Israeli Committee for the Selection of Judges, chaired by Justice Minister Yariv Levin, appointed 26 judges and registrars to magistrate courts on Wednesday. This follows a previous appointment of about 70 judges and registrars last Sunday. These two rounds of appointments come after a year and a half during which the committee did not convene due to disagreements among its members, significantly impacting the judicial system and public service.

No new judges were appointed to the magistrate courts in the Central and Tel Aviv districts. To date, the committee has appointed 290 senior judges and registrars in this term, representing over 30% of all judges in Israel. However, approximately 30 positions remain vacant and are expected to be filled by the end of the year.

The appointments were preceded by legal proceedings, including a Supreme Court directive ordering Levin to appoint judges to district courts. Levin published candidates only for the Haifa and Beersheba district courts, with others pending. Due to the proximity of elections, permanent appointments to district courts were not made; instead, temporary appointments were issued. The partial and delayed publication of candidates led to criticism and a contempt of court petition filed against Levin by the Movement for Quality Government.

Among the newly appointed magistrate court judges are Efrat Azulai Hanovich for family matters in Haifa, and eight others in the Southern district, including Chen Ben Haim and Mirav Goldner. Seventeen senior registrars were appointed across various districts, including Issam Haik and Omri Perry in the North, and Asaf Avni in Tel Aviv.

Justice Minister Levin stated that his tenure has brought a "real revolution" in judicial appointments, emphasizing the promotion of candidates previously blocked for non-professional reasons and ensuring broad agreement to enhance public trust. Knesset member Karin Elharar criticized the lengthy delay and the lack of appointments in key districts, promising to address these issues in the next government.