Petition Seeks Contempt Sanctions Against Justice Minister Levin Over Judges' Appointments

The Movement for Quality Government filed an urgent petition on Sunday to Israel's Supreme Court, asking it to use contempt-of-court powers against Justice Minister Yariv Levin and force him to immediately comply with a ruling from about two weeks ago. That ruling ordered Levin to convene the Judicial Selection Committee and advance judge appointments at all levels of the courts.

According to the petition, the Supreme Court panel of Ofer Grosskopf, Alex Stein and Gila Canfy-Steinitz unanimously ordered Levin to publish the list of candidates for district court judges in the official gazette without further delay, with priority given to the Beersheba and Haifa district courts. The court gave those two courts a deadline of June 8, 2026, and said the committee should be convened as soon as possible in light of the expected election date.

The group says Levin has still not published the names of candidates for the other district courts, even though two weeks have passed since the ruling. It also says that for Beersheba and Haifa, the publication was finally made on June 5, 2026, not by Levin himself but by Court Administration Director Judge Tzahi Uzial, which it argues directly contradicts the law and the court's order that the minister himself act.

The petition describes the case as a clear instance of contempt of court. It says the effort to get Levin to convene the committee and appoint judges has been going on for about three years, and the court itself called the need for appointments “urgent” and the urgency in the district courts “clear,” especially because the approaching election could limit the ability to make appointments.

The filing says about 51 judicial posts are currently vacant, another 15 are expected to open by the end of 2026, and roughly 150 seats, or 15% of the judiciary, must ultimately be filled when promotions within the system are included. The organization asked the court to set a short, clear deadline for publication, hold an urgent oral hearing, and, if needed, impose personal fines or other sanctions on Levin. Attorney Yael Bloch said Levin is conducting “a systematic campaign of contempt” against Supreme Court rulings and warned that the delay harms victims of sexual offenses, criminal defendants and ordinary litigants.