The 2023 Israeli judicial reform is a set of five changes to the judicial system and the balance of powers in Israel that was proposed in January 2023. The intent of the measures is to curb the judiciary's influence over lawmaking and public policy by limiting the Supreme Court's power to exercise judicial review, granting the government control over judicial appointments and limiting the authority of its legal advisors.[1] The effort was led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of JusticeYariv Levin and the Chair of the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, Simcha Rothman.
The Supreme Court has, for several decades, assumed the right to declare Knesset legislation unconstitutional. The reform would permit the Knesset to override such a ruling by reintroducing the legislation and approving it with a majority of Knesset members. The reform would additionally diminish the ability of courts to conduct judicial review of the Basic Laws and change the makeup of the Judicial Selection Committee, so that control over the appointment of judges is effectively given to the government.[2][3]
Levin and the ruling government coalition have stated that the above is the first step in their judicial reform,[4] and that additional steps are planned, including:
changing the appointment process of legal advisors to government ministries, such that they are appointed and dismissed by the ministers;
making the legal advisers' legal advice a recommendation, rather than binding on the ministers; and
making them subordinate directly to the ministers, rather than to the Justice Ministry's professional oversight.[5]
Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu maintains that the reform is necessary because the judiciary has too much control over public policy, and a better balance is needed between democratically elected legislators and the judiciary.[2][6] However, Netanyahu has been barred from actively taking part in the process of the judicial reform by the Attorney General, due to a conflict of interest stemming from his ongoing corruption trial.[7]
The coalition is also advancing a number of other bills concerning Israel's judicial system and the balance of powers, including:
reforms to widen the authority of the Rabbinical Court, allowing them to act as arbitrators in civil matters using religious law, if both parties consent;[8]
bills limiting the ability to call for a no-confidence vote and other methods for dissolving a sitting Knesset;
bills prohibiting criminal proceedings against sitting Prime Ministers (which could free the current PM, Netanyahu, from the corruption charges currently pending against him[9]); and
bills permitting key public service positions to be positions of trust, appointed by politicians, rather than professional appointments.[10]
The proposed reform has sparked significant backlash, as well as some support, both inside and outside of Israel. Opposition leaders and activists accused the government of undermining established norms of checks and balances and attempting to seize absolute power, with some arguing the reform amounts to an attempt at regime change.[11][12] The Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, has called for the reforms to be halted to allow for a wider consultative process,[13] and the president of the Supreme Court and the Attorney General have attested to the reform's illegalities.[14][15]Protests against the reform escalated in Israel shortly after its introduction, as did significant concern among some in the international community.[12][16]
On 27 March 2023, after public protests and general strikes, Netanyahu announced a pause in the reform process to allow for dialogue with opposition parties.[17] However, negotiations aimed at reaching a compromise collapsed in June, and the government resumed its plans to unilaterally pass parts of the legislation.[18][19] On 24 July 2023, the Knesset passed a bill that curbs the power of the Supreme Court to declare government decisions unreasonable;[20][21] on 1 January 2024, the Supreme Court struck the bill down.[22][23]