Since the events of the invalidation of the Basic Law "The Reasonableness
This evening (Thursday), commentator Avishai Greenzig revealed on the i24 channel two conversations, which took place with real shouting, between Justice Yitzhak Amit and Justice David Mintz, one of the most introverted and quiet justices on the Supreme Court today.
President Amit and Justice Barak-Erez ruled two months ago that the appointment of the Civil Service Commissioner must be made through a "competitive" process, contrary to the way in which Civil Service Commissioners were appointed for generations, and even in explicit contradiction to Justice Amit's own ruling from the previous decade.
Judge Noam Solberg criticized his colleagues on the panel, warning against turning "desired law" into "existing law." Solberg warned that "the more we stretch the rope too much, the more it will eventually break."
The government submitted a request to hold another hearing on the ruling in an expanded composition, but the Attorney General tried to prevent the additional hearing and at the very least delay it further and further.
The purpose of the attorney general's move was clear to Judge Mintz, and he was required to decide whether to authorize another hearing, even if the matter was not explicitly stated.
And here's why: The composition was determined according to the principle of seniority. Judge Yosef Elron will reach the age of 70 and retire from office on September 20. Elron is identified as a conservative judge and strongly opposes Yitzhak Amit's approach. The longer the process is delayed, the more Elron will be unable to be one of the judges hearing the case.
The government also knew this, and pressed hard for a decision on the matter to be made immediately.
Mintz approved the government's request against the Attorney General's position on July 13, 2025. "By virtue of my authority, I order an additional hearing, which will be held before a panel of five judges to be appointed by the President. Given the urgency of the matter, the additional hearing will be scheduled by the end of 2025."
Mintz looked at the Hebrew-Latin calendar, and a miracle happened: he understood what was behind the delays, and ordered that the hearing be held by the end of 2015, which almost completely coincides with the date of Judge Elron's retirement.
But there is only one day left between Elron's retirement and Rosh Hashanah - September 21, 2025, starting on Sunday of the week.
On that evening of July 13, the office of one of the Supreme Court justices, in a truly prophetic manner, already knew how to update: "Mark your calendar for September 21st. The day after Elron's retirement. The day before Rosh Hashanah."
Yitzhak Amit was furious with Mintz, claiming that he had deliberately planted a bomb in his side, and had even exceeded his authority and what was customary.
Amit shouted at Mintz: "You did have the authority to schedule another hearing, but who authorized you to schedule the hearing in a panel of five?"
Amit was also very angry about setting the date without checking with him and without "checking" with him beforehand.
Two days later, Judge Mintz worked to ensure that Elron would be in the lineup, and arranged with him and the person in charge of the calendar two potential dates for the additional hearing.
President Amit's office realized that they were being tricked. Elron had already confirmed that he was interested in sitting on the panel. According to them, after checking the calendar, both of these dates are not possible for Judge Barak-Erez and President Amit himself. The only date before Rosh Hashanah that turned out to be available for members of the panel, they said, is September 21 - the day after Judge Elron's retirement.
Yesterday, another shouting match took place in Amit's office - between him and Judge Mintz. Amit claimed that he had accused him of lacking authority and irresponsibility.
Mintz was not left unsatisfied, and claimed that Amit was doing whatever was on his mind for irrelevant considerations, in order to engineer the result, but Amit insisted: "The accepted practice is that a judge who sat in the original panel will also sit in the extended panel. So it was and so it will be. Barak-Erez will remain in the panel."
The final result is clear – Amit had the upper hand. Today it was determined that the hearing will be held the day after the retirement of Judge Elron, President Amit's nemesis, who will not sit on the bench.
Exactly as they wrote and preserved in the office of one of the Supreme Court justices.
And what will be the outcome of the discussion? You can start guessing right now. In other words: don't be tense.
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