In Israel, constitutional reform committee proposes changes to composition of judicial selection committee

Legal reform critics rejected a concession in which a seat on the judge selection committee would be reserved for an opposition Knesset member in a new version of the draft Basic Law: Judiciary amendment submitted late [5 February]. According to the draft revised by Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee chairman Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionist Party), in addition to the committee chairman and a coalition Knesset member, another Knesset representative would be elected by opposition factions. In the current Basic Law, two Knesset members are elected by the legislature to the selection committee. Since the 1990s, it has become tradition for one of the Knesset members to be an opposition member, often arranged through negotiation with the coalition. Rothman’s proposal would codify this practice. The rest of the committee would be composed of the justice minister, two other ministers, the High Court of Justice president, and two judges. Five of the committee members would be part of the ruling coalition. [...] The draft holds that decisions on the judge selection committee are by majority vote, and those that abstain are not counted when considering majority opinion. The Black Robes Protest group, comprised of private firm lawyers, also dismissed the revision saying it "illustrates the reality that the government is aiming for -- a country without an independent judicial system where the politicians choose the judges without any balance." Protests erupted in the law committee itself on [the morning of 6 February], as Rothman gave his opening remarks.
Read the full article here: The Jerusalem Post