High Court Justices Ofer Grosskopf, Alex Stein, and Gila Kanfei Steinitz ruled unanimously this evening (Sunday) that Justice Minister Yariv Levin must convene the committee to select judges.
The committee is scheduled to convene to elect judges for the district courts, giving priority to the district courts in Be'er Sheva and Haifa.
Minister Levin has refused for the past year and a half to convene the committee to select judges, since no agreement was reached regarding the identity of the candidates.
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
The judicial system claimed that there was a severe shortage of judges in all instances, and this was leading to a serious harm to the service provided to the public.
The judges wrote in their decision: "For a period of about a year and a half, the committee for selecting judges did not convene due to the lack of broad agreement regarding the identity of the candidates to be selected. During this period, many positions of judges in the district courts became vacant, and it is expected that a significant number of additional positions will be filled by the end of 2026.".
""This reality, together with the enormous and increasing burden placed on the system, makes the need to appoint judges urgent. When we add to this the approaching election date, and the limitations that may apply to the possibility of electing judges as a result, the conclusion is that the Minister of Justice must act immediately, so that the appointments can be completed before the election period.".
""Under these circumstances, there is no choice but to determine that the Minister of Justice must publish in Reshumot the list of candidates for judging in the district courts without further delay, while giving priority to the district courts in Be'er Sheva and Haifa, where the immediate need is particularly clear, and for which we instruct that the list be published within 7 days.".
Minister Levin attacked the decision: "This is a decision that is illegal on its face, in which the judiciary takes over the committee for selecting judges, in explicit violation of the provisions of the law.
""If any of the judges are interested in running the committee for selecting judges and setting the dates for its meetings, they are invited to take off their judge's robe, run for the Knesset, try to get elected, and in negotiations leading up to the formation of the government, demand the justice portfolio. This is what the law states, and it also applies to the judges themselves.".
""Three judges single-handedly created an unprecedented constitutional crisis, and the entire responsibility lies with them,",
