Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara informed Justice Minister Yariv Levin (Likud) that in view of the apparent differences in positions regarding the petitions against the reasonableness standard, the government would allow him to use private council in these petitions.
"Further to the Minister of Justice's request, the Attorney General informed him that in view of the apparent differences in positions with regard to the petitions against the amendment to the Basic Law: The Judiciary, the government will be able to use private representation in these petitions," the AG's statement reads.
It was further emphasized that, "The decision of the Attorney General is based on the fact that this is an unusual event in view of the fact that the petitions deal with precedential and particularly sensitive constitutional issues, which will be examined by the full composition of the Supreme Court."
The preliminary hearing on the petitions calling for the cancellation of the reduction of the reasonableness standard will take place in about a month and all 15 justices of the Supreme Court will sit in it.
The Supreme Court decided in the meantime not to delay the implementation of the move - but at the same time issued a conditional order in which it demanded the State justify why the law to reduce the reasonableness standard should not be invalidated.
The respondents to the petition - the Knesset, the Attorney General, Minister of Justice Yariv Levin, and the government itself - were required to respond to it by the beginning of September.