MKs from the Yesh Atid party, led by MK Yair Lapid, on Thursday morning appealed to the Supreme Court to block the changes to the Judicial Selection Committee.
The appeal was filed minutes after the Knesset plenum passed the bill 67-1, by MKs Karine Elharrar and Yoav Segalovich, both members of the Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee.
Elharrar said: "Judges need to be appointed out of professional considerations - not just political considerations. They are supposed to serve the public, not the government, and act in accordance with the law, not according to the government's authority. The bill which passed crushes the principle of separation of the branches of government and opens a door for political appointments, and harms citizens who wish to see justice done in courts."
Segalovich added: "Turning the Judicial Selection Committee from a professional committee to a political committee is part of the broader process of harming the gatekeepers and national institutions. We will not allow this to happen. We will fight for the character of the State in every arena, and we will work to correct the destruction which this government has brought with it."
In fact, the law only changes two of the appointments: Representatives of Israel's Bar Association, which was found to have a conflict of interest, will be replaced by agreed-upon representatives of the Israeli public - one of whom will be chosen by the coalition, and the other chosen by the opposition. The bill also incorporates all of Israeli President Isaac Herzog's recommendations.