Justice Minister Levin Plans Supreme Court Overhaul Through Future Appointments

Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin was secretly recorded discussing his strategy to reshape the Supreme Court's composition during the next government term. The recordings, revealed on Wednesday by Yaara Shapira on Kan News, capture Levin telling Likud activists about a conversation he had with a Supreme Court judge about appointments of Dr. Aviad Bakshi and Dr. Rafi Biton. Levin said the judge warned that if he insisted on these appointments now, the court would wait for a future justice minister to make them. Levin responded that he believes his side will win and plans to wait for the next term.

Levin explained that many current Supreme Court justices are expected to retire during the upcoming government's tenure, allowing him to appoint new judges without needing to pass the current judicial reform. He stated that two-thirds of the court will be vacated, enabling a fundamental change in its makeup. Levin told the judges, "We will no longer need a reform; you will simply disappear, and you will have no choice."

He detailed his intention to appoint Bakshi, Biton, and others who will transform the court's character. Six justices are expected to retire during the next government, and the incoming justice minister could appoint up to ten new justices, constituting about two-thirds of the court. The recording indicates Levin plans to shift the battle over judicial reform from legislative changes to the appointment process, waiting for retirements to implement his vision for the judiciary.