Israeli Supreme court
Israeli Supreme courtIsrael news photo: Flash 90

The Land of Israel Legal Forum is launching a new website to help the public learn about those who make up the judicial system. The site will allow viewers to see relevant personal information about judges, including their professional accomplishments and their relationships with others within the judicial system.

The project aims to “strengthen the public’s relationship with those elected to the judiciary system, enhance the judges’ commitment to the public and increase levels of transparency.”

In a meeting this week the Israel Bar Association offered to collaborate with the Legal Forum in its attempts to make the judicial system more balanced and more open to the public. As part of the collaboration, Legal Forum attorneys will join various Bar Association committees.

Legal Forum activists spoke with Bar Association officials about publishing the protocols of committees that appoint judges. Some information must remain private, they said, but information such as how many votes a candidate received should be made public, as it is in other public bodies.

The Legal Forum was created several years ago to counter a legal system perceived as heavily biased in favor of the left. Among the Legal Forum’s recent project are challenging the state position on Migron and pushing to get Hamas-controlled Gaza declared enemy territory.