Israeli Justice Minister Levin Appoints 26 New Judges Amid Judicial Reform Dispute

Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin announced on Wednesday the appointment of 26 new judges and registrars across various courts in Israel. This latest round of appointments brings the total number of senior judges and registrars appointed during the current committee's term to 290, representing over 30% of all sitting judges in the country.

Levin praised the appointments as part of a significant transformation in the judiciary, emphasizing efforts to promote candidates who had previously been blocked for non-professional reasons. He highlighted the unprecedented diversity achieved in the judicial composition and noted that all appointments were made with broad consensus to strengthen public trust in the judicial system.

The appointments come amid ongoing tensions between Levin and the Supreme Court regarding judicial appointments and broader judicial reform efforts. Earlier this year, Levin stated he would not appoint Supreme Court judges who are not genuinely conservative. In June, an agreement was reached to appoint 15 additional district court judges following a Supreme Court ruling compelling Levin to convene the judicial selection committee.

Among the notable appointments are Efrat Azulai Hanovich to the Haifa Family Court and several new judges and registrars appointed to the Southern, Northern, Haifa, Central, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Southern districts. Levin expressed gratitude to the Courts Administration head, Judge Tzahi Uziel, for his exceptional work facilitating the appointment process.

These appointments reflect Levin's ongoing efforts to reshape the judiciary amid the broader political and legal debates surrounding Israel's judicial reform.