Levin Threatens Supreme Court Shutdown, Judicial Overhaul Plans
- justice Minister Yariv Levin on Sunday laid out his plans to counter Israel's judiciary in a discussion with dozens of Likud activists on an X livestream, warning that...
- Recordings of the conversation, obtained and published by the Walla news site Monday, also showed Levin assailing Supreme Court President Isaac Amit, whom he has boycotted as the...
- In the discussion, Levin said the most vital issue for him is the appointment of Supreme Court judges, and framed his ongoing judicial overhaul push as a power...
justice Minister Yariv Levin on Sunday laid out his plans to counter Israel’s judiciary in a discussion with dozens of Likud activists on an X livestream, warning that he is prepared to paralyze teh Supreme court, defy its rulings adn advance legislation declaring court decisions void.
Recordings of the conversation, obtained and published by the Walla news site Monday, also showed Levin assailing Supreme Court President Isaac Amit, whom he has boycotted as the latter was elected, and describing his renewed push to reshape the judicial system.
In the discussion, Levin said the most vital issue for him is the appointment of Supreme Court judges, and framed his ongoing judicial overhaul push as a power struggle with what he described as a “small,” “radical” elite controlling the courts.
“If you are willing to reach an agreement with me, I’m in favor,” Levin said he has told judicial leaders. “But that agreement must necessarily bring in people who have never sat on the Supreme Court before.”
If the judiciary refuses, Levin warned, he is prepared to wait it out, even at the cost of crippling the court’s ability to function. “In the next term, another five judges will be replaced… nine appointments out of 15,” he said. “That will leave them with a simple choice: either a situation in which the court essentially disappears,or has a dramatic change.”
Levin accused the Supreme Court of imposing its views on the public through judicial power.
The minister also confirmed he is moving forward with disciplinary proceedings against Supreme Court President Amit following findings by the State Ombudsman for Judges of a conflict of interest, though the ombudsman, Judge Asher Kula, closed nine of the 10 ethics complaints that had been brought against Amit.
Levin said he appointed a lawyer to oversee the case, and added that he “assumes it’s a matter of a few days until he completes drafting the complaint.”
The minister, who has been engaged in a feud with Amit for several years and has refused to meet with him for over 18 months, said again Sunday that he refuses to recognize his authority as the court president.
“The fact that I do not recognize him, the fact that I do not work with hi
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