Justice Minister Yariv Levin responded to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara’s claims that he is intentionally delaying the appointment of judges, dismissing the accusations as false.
“During my tenure as Justice Minister, approximately 200 judges have been appointed, and at my initiative many new judicial positions were added. This is alongside additional steps taken to streamline the judicial process and ease the burden on the public. Attorney Baharav-Miara’s claims are false," Levin said.
He added, “For a long time, I have been working to reach agreements that would allow the appointment of judges, as has been done successfully since the beginning of the term. This must be done not through last-minute maneuvers, but through broad consensus. Instead of rising to the occasion, some committee members refuse any compromise and veto worthy candidates such as Dr. Bakshi and Dr. Biton, both for the Supreme Court and for other courts."
“I will continue to insist that appointments be made in a diverse manner and without disqualifying worthy candidates because of their background," Levin stated.
Earlier, Baharav-Miara submitted her response to a petition against the failure to convene the Judicial Selection Committee. “The Justice Minister is acting unlawfully and harming the public by preventing the appointment of judges to the magistrate and district courts for more than a year, despite the exceptional overload on Israel’s judicial system," she wrote.
She added, “Based on data from the Courts Administration and letters from seven court presidents, the direct victims of the committee’s paralysis and the severe shortage of judges are the litigants. This paralysis leads to heavy delays in scheduling hearings, postponement of proceedings, a significant slowdown in issuing decisions, and the accumulation of thousands of cases ‘waiting on the shelf.’"