President Rivlin warns against political intervention in court system

 

Rivlin, who spoke at an event he hosted at his residence in Jerusalem, said a law that would allow the Knesset to overturn High Court of Justice rulings would "bypass the Knesset, and would result in legislative overreach that would run against the laws enacted by lawmakers themselves."

 

"Woe to a nation that has a constitutional court; such a court could be turned by politicians into a political court," Rivlin said.

 

Rivlin also criticized efforts to change the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee. "I would like to warn against increasing the size of the committee, which could lead to unprofessional conduct," he said. "Let it go. We must ensure that our democracy remains robust, and a significant part of this robustness depends on the Supreme Court. I believe the Knesset is the sovereign power, but democracy will suffer if we lack a separation of powers."

 

Supreme Court President Miriam Naor echoed Rivlin\’s comments, saying, "Various proposals would curtail the powers of the Supreme Court and allow its rulings to be vacated. The principle of human dignity should govern our day-to-day life, it should not be limited to rhetoric; but for this to happen, the principle must have a custodian. This is in the interest of all Israeli citizens and residents. Building something is hard, destroying it is easy."

 

Naor\’s predecessor, retired Justice Asher Grunis, emphasized that "the only institution that might protect the minority from a tyrannical majority is the court. The court\’s most important duty is to protect the minority and uphold human rights. And that is what the Israeli Supreme Court has done."

 

Retired Justice Aharon Barak, who as Supreme Court president throughout much of the 1990s presided over many landmark decisions, also attended the event. He said that "there is no such thing as a court-bypassing law, only a democracy-bypassing law." Barak argued that "when the Knesset infringes on a civil liberty that it had been granted by the Knesset itself, it hurts democracy."

 

"The system is not without its flaws, and some tweaks are necessary. It is a very good system," Barak said.

 

The Justice Ministry issued a statement Wednesday stating that Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein "has opposed and still opposes reforms that might compromise the Supreme Court\’s independence and its strength."