Supreme Court
Supreme CourtNoam Moshcovitz

The Judicial Selection Committee selected Professor Alex Stein and Ofer Grosskopf to replace outgoing Justices Yoram Danziger and Uri Shoham on the Supreme Court.

Stein is a well-known expert in economic law who is also well-known for his opposition to judicial activism, and his selection will likely be seen as a victory for Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, who wanted his appointment.

Stein has also expressed the opinion that standing in the courts should be granted to those persnally involved in the case at hand, in contrast to the current situation in Israel where anyone can file a suit about an issue, whether or not he is personally affected by it. That is how NGOs file suits against construction in Judea and Samaria without first finding the alleged owners of the land.

Stein's candidacy was controversial, as he has not lived in Israel for over 15 years. Stein currently teaches at Brooklyn College in New York and has previously been on the faculty at Yeshiva University and Hebrew University.

Grosskopf was a judge at the Central District Court and is considered close to former Justice Minister Danial Friedmann, a prominent critic of the activist approach pushed by former chief justice Aharon Barak in the 1990s. Grosskopf is also the first Supreme Court justice to have been born in the former Soviet Union.

The nine-member committee, headed by the Justice Minister, is responsible for all judicial appointments in Israel. Aside from the Justice Minister, the committee is composed of an additional cabinet minister, two MKs, including one from the opposition, two Bar Association representatives, and three Supreme Court justices, including the Chief Justice.

Shaked said that "This is a day of celebration for the Israeli legal world, and outstanding candidates have been chosen, people of differing cultural backgrounds and unique and varied lifestyles."

"When I became Justice Minister, one of my main goals was to diversify the Supreme Court. I have no doubt that their contribution to the Supreme Court will leave its mark on the pages of the history of the Israeli legal world," emphasized Shaked.

Supreme Court President Justice Esther Hayut said that "I have no doubt that both will make a significant contribution to the Supreme Court in Israel and will enrich its rulings with knowledge and legal depth".