Archiv: Esther Hayut (Supreme Court President March 2004 – 16-10-2023)


01.01.2024 - 18:28 [ i24news.tv ]

Israel: High Court strikes down law repealing the ‚reasonableness standard,‘ a key plank of the govt‘s judicial reform

The reasonableness law, an amendment to Basic Law: The Judiciary, prohibits courts, including the High Court, from reviewing government and ministerial decisions using the „reasonableness“ standard. This standard permits the court to annul decisions based on substantive issues with the considerations behind them.

It was passed last year amid furious protests that saw hundreds of thousands Israelis take to rallies in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and elsewhere across Israel.

01.01.2024 - 18:11 [ Axios.com ]

Israeli Supreme Court strikes down Bibi‘s controversial judicial overhaul law

– Twelve out of 15 Supreme Court judges ruled that the court has the authority to conduct judicial oversight on basic laws and intervene in extreme cases when the Knesset oversteps its legislative authority.

– The law was the first piece of legislation of Netanyahu‘s judicial overhaul — a plan that destabilized Israel‘s economy, military and foreign relations.

The Supreme Court struck down the law in an 8-7 vote.

01.01.2024 - 18:04 [ Times of Israel ]

In historic 1st, High Court strikes down Basic Law amendment, voiding reasonableness law

Twelve of the 15 justices agree the court does have the authority to strike down Basic Laws.

01.01.2024 - 17:33 [ Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي / Twitter ]

Strap in, everybody: Israel‘s Supreme Court announces it will issue its ruling on Netanyahu‘s cancellation of the Reasonableness Law at 18:45, in less than an hour.

(38 min ago)

01.01.2024 - 17:15 [ Times of Israel ]

High Court to strike down reasonableness law in ruling tonight, reports say

Hebrew media outlets report that the High Court of Justice will publish its ruling on the government’s “reasonableness law” this evening and that it will strike down the controversial legislation, which is an amendment to Basic Law: The Judiciary.

This would be the first time the court strikes down any aspect of one of Israel’s Basic Laws, which have quasi-constitutional status.

01.01.2024 - 17:07 [ Times of Israel ]

Shas set to push law allowing High Court to delay reasonableness ruling

Lawmakers from the Shas coalition party are reportedly seeking to advance a bill that would temporarily extend the time in which High Court justices can publish rulings on petitions, allowing the bench to postpone a decision that is widely expected to strike down a piece of the government’s judicial overhaul.

In an unprecedented leak, a draft ruling published last week previewed the court’s intention to strike down, by an 8-7 vote, a law limiting the court’s ability to reverse government and ministerial decisions based on the doctrine of reasonableness.

29.12.2023 - 04:12 [ DailyBeast.com ]

Israeli Court Decries ‘Leaks’ of Ruling on Netanyahu’s Legal Overhaul

“The judiciary views very severely the leak of parts of draft rulings that have not been completed,” acting Supreme Court President Uzi Vogelman said of the leak. “The attempt to influence pending proceedings and to harm public trust in the judiciary and its dedicated judges and employees will not succeed.” The final ruling is expected to arrive midway through January.

28.12.2023 - 16:52 [ Times of Israel ]

Bombshell leaked draft ruling shows High Court set to nix key judicial overhaul law

The report drew immediate, heated reactions, with coalition members chastising the expected decision and casting it as undermining the national unity being displayed during the ongoing war against Hamas. The group that petitioned for the law to be nullified claimed the leak was an attempt to intimidate the justices and push them to change their ruling and not void the legislation.

28.12.2023 - 16:41 [ i24news.tv ]

Israeli High Court poised to strike down judicial ‚reasonableness‘ clause

The leaked draft revealed an apparent 8-7 split among the 15-justice panel, indicating eight justices in favor of annulling the law and seven against

28.12.2023 - 16:29 [ Haaretz ]

Report: Israeli High Court Justices Poised to Nullify Key Judicial Coup Law Passed Last Summer

The justices who reportedly support the nullification are: former president Esther Hayut, current care-taker president Uzi Vogelman, Isaac Amit, Anat Baron, Ofer Grosskopf, Chaled Kabub, Daphne Barak-Erez and Ruth Ronnen.

The opponents are reported to be Noam Sohlberg, Yechiel Meir Kasher, Yosef Elron, Alex Stein, Yael Willner, David Mintz and Gila Canfy Steinitz.

15.11.2023 - 08:36 [ Haaretz ]

Israeli Panel Seeks to Force Justice Minister‘s Hand Over Appointment of Next Chief Justice

(14.11.2023)

Members of the Judicial Appointments Committee are looking into the option of initiating a motion to elect Justice Isaac Amit as the president of the Supreme Court, despite the opposition of Justice Minister Yariv Levin.

15.11.2023 - 08:30 [ Yonatan Touval / Twitter ]

So even as Israel is at war, #Netanyahu‘s justice minister, Yariv Levin, continues advancing the judicial coup, reportedly plotting to appoint two of his allies who actively participated in the attempted coup to the Supreme Court (per Channel 12 News).

(November 12, 2023)

15.11.2023 - 08:20 [ Reuters ]

Israeli government yields on key judicial overhaul, citing war

(November 5, 2023)

In a letter from his lawyer to the Supreme Court, Justice Minister Yariv Levin pledged to convene the Judicial Appointments Committee within 15 days. The court had been scheduled to hear challenges to his hold-ups, which have resulted in backlogs in filling vacated bench positions.

„The justice minister believes there is no justification for being preoccupied with disputes during a war,“ the letter said.

28.08.2023 - 23:55 [ Jerusalem Post ]

High Court hearings will be a battle for Israel‘s future – opinion

Just a month before she retires, Supreme Court President Esther Hayut will conduct the battle of her life, and the decision she presides over will shape the life of the entire nation.

The announcement of the government’s narrowing of the Reasonableness Standard was received by Hayut in Germany, where she was visiting along with a group of Supreme Court justices. They cut short the visit and returned to Israel.

07.08.2023 - 10:37 [ Times of Israel ]

Shin Bet said to warn of ramped-up threats against top justice, attorney general

The Shin Bet security service reportedly warned Sunday of mounting threats against Supreme Court President Esther Hayut and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, both of whom have been central targets of right-wing figures for their opposition to certain government moves.

The warnings were expressed during a situational assessment held by the agency Sunday, Channel 13 news reported.

04.08.2023 - 18:28 [ Times of Israel ]

High Court calls PM recusal law ‘clearly personal,’ indicates it may intervene

Supreme Court President Esther Hayut observed that the “fingerprints” of a plan designed to prevent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from being ordered to recuse himself were “very clear,” while her fellow panel member Justice Uzi Vogelman said simply that “the fact is the law is personal.”

The court’s three most senior justices presided over Thursday’s five-hour hearing, in a case in which, for the first time ever, the attorney general has joined petitioners in asking for a Basic Law to be canceled.

01.08.2023 - 09:06 [ Tagesschau.de ]

Israel: Oberster Gerichtshof plant Anhörung zu Justizreform

Der Staat Israel hat keine Verfassung und fußt dagegen auf einer Sammlung von Grundgesetzen.

Bei der im Parlament beschlossenen Abschaffung des sogenannten Angemessenheitsstandards handelt es sich um eine Änderung eines dieser Grundgesetze. In Israels Geschichte wurde bisher noch nie ein vergleichbares Gesetz vom Obersten Gericht einkassiert. Sollte dies nun geschehen und die Regierung die Entscheidung nicht akzeptieren, droht dem Land eine Staatskrise.

01.08.2023 - 09:04 [ Haaretz ]

In First, All 15 of Israel’s Supreme Court Justices Will Hear Petitions on Judicial Coup Law Curbing Its Power

After the abolishment of the reasonableness clause last week, the High Court did not issue an interim injunction to freeze the amendment to the law. According to Justice David Mintz’s decision, the hearing will take place after the court’s recess, before the departure of Justices Hayut and Anat Baron, who are considered liberal judges, in October.

It was also decided that the government and the Knesset will submit their responses to the petitions up to ten days before the hearing.

26.07.2023 - 10:43 [ CNN ]

Civil unrest, legal appeals and military disobedience: What Israel may face after Supreme Court law change

In 2021, the court outlined very narrow circumstances under which a Basic Law can be annulled. A number of petitions were filed challenging the constitutionality of the Nation State Law. While the court did not strike down the law, Supreme Court President Esther Hayut said that “there is one restriction, exceedingly narrow, which is incumbent on the Knesset in its function as the constituent authority, that it is unable to revoke Israel’s essence as a Jewish and democratic state through a Basic Law.”

The court could strike down a Basic Law if it endangers democratic principles such as those that deal “a mortal blow to free and fair elections, core human rights, the separation of powers, the rule of law, and an independent judiciary,” Hayut said.

25.07.2023 - 22:31 [ Times of Israel ]

Attorney general asks High Court to strike down law shielding Netanyahu from recusal

The bill, she pointed out, was submitted to the Knesset just days after the petitions were filed against Netanyahu, and observed that just hours after the legislation was passed into law the prime minister announced he was directly involving himself in the judicial overhaul agenda.

As such, it was designed specifically to allow Netanyahu to evade the conflict of interests agreement he signed back in 2020 which was authorized by the High Court, in order to allow him to continue serving as prime minister.

24.07.2023 - 20:10 [ Haaretz ]

Israel‘s Democratic Crisis: Can Israel‘s Supreme Court Disqualify the First Law of Netanyahu‘s Judicial Coup?

Until now, the High Court has never invalidated any Basic Law. Only “regular laws” that violate Basic Laws have been disqualified. Therefore, striking down the legislation passed Monday would be an unprecedented move.

14.07.2023 - 09:00 [ PalestineChronicle.com ]

Israeli Supreme Court Considers Petition to Remove Netanyahu from Office

The petition, filed on April 19, 2023, is supported by a number of former political and military leaders, including former Chief of Staff Dan Halutz.

The Supreme Court’s decision comes amid Netanyahu’s attempts to bring about changes to the judiciary, even though he is on trial in three criminal cases.

Attorney General Ghali Bharav Miara warned Netanyahu last March against interfering in amendments to the judiciary, as he is prohibited from doing so due to his appearance in corruption cases.

14.07.2023 - 08:50 [ AllIsrael.com ]

Protest group petitions High Court to disqualify Netanyahu due to conflict of interest

The petition was filed by 39 senior figures from various fields, including Israel Defense Forces former Chief- of-Staff Dan Halutz.

On Thursday afternoon, it was announced that the High Court agreed to hear the petition.

08.07.2023 - 14:00 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir‘s Tyranny Must Be Stopped

Because Israel has no constitution and lacks a tradition of respecting the law and fundamental democratic principles, it’s enough to replace a few key people – the attorney general, the governor of the Bank of Israel, the Supreme Court president, the police commissioner and of course the heads of the security services – to pave a fast lane to tyranny and internal repression.

So it’s obvious why Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir and their colleagues are working to replace a cadre of top officials in government agencies and making it clear that their replacements will be judged by only one criterion – their willingness to please the government and obey it without question.

27.03.2023 - 20:52 [ CNN ]

No indictment for Netanyahu

(20. April 1997)

Netanyahu told CNN‘s Walter Rodgers he was „glad that the truth came out,“ and said the entire incident was „blown out of proportion and twisted out of shape.“

„It‘s politics,“ he said in an interview shortly after the attorney general released his report. „Of course there were people out to get us. But this is going nowhere. It‘s done. It‘s finished.“

27.03.2023 - 20:29 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Petition for Netanyahu’s removal from office rejected by High Court

(March 27, 2023 15:45)

The court rejected the petition by the Defenders of Israeli Democracy on all grounds, saying that judicial intervention was a last resort after all other avenues had been exhausted.

The petition was viewed as unacceptable in its framing, and the petitioners were ordered to pay NIS 5,000 for expenses to the state treasury.

15.01.2023 - 13:52 [ Haaretz ]

„A Mortal Wound to Democracy“: Israel’s Chief Justice Slams Netanyahu’s Legal Overhaul

Hayut said the clause “will deprive the court of the option to override laws that disproportionately violate human rights, including the right to life, property, freedom of movement, as well as the basic right of human dignity and its derivatives – the right to equality, freedom of speech and more.”

The planned override clause authorizes the Knesset, with the support of the government, to make laws without obstruction that would hurt these rights. That’s why anyone who thinks that this override clause overrides the court is mistaken. It’s actually an override of human rights in every aspect of Israeli society.”

14.01.2023 - 18:54 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Netanyahu’s Judicial Reform Push Bolsters Opposition and Protests

The far-eight government’s planned judicial reform will “crush” the Israeli judicial system, Supreme Court President Esther Hayut warned at the annual convention of The Israeli Association of Public Law on Thursday evening. “Israel will soon mark 75 years of independence, the 75th year will be remembered as the year in which Israel’s democracy suffered a fatal blow,” said Hayut. “This is an unbridled attack on the judicial system, as if it were an enemy that must be attacked and subdued.”

28.04.2021 - 05:29 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Netanyahu is attacking Israel. Stop him – comment

Netanyahu‘s refusal to appoint a justice minister is a direct assault on this nation. It is that simple.
His reasoning is also simple: Netanyahu does not want to fill the role with someone who is not subservient and willing to go along with coordinated efforts to escape his bribery trial.

28.04.2021 - 05:24 [ Haaretz ]

The Court Gave Netanyahu a License. It Can‘t Complain if He Shoots

Rather, it is the public danger he constitutes and his conspiring to topple state institutions. Ordinary criminal defendants who behaved as Netanyahu has would have long since been ordered to remain in custody for the duration of legal proceedings, lest they obstruct the investigation and trial, and for disobeying a court order. But we can’t complain to Netanyahu about it, when the court itself gives him license to harm it.

25.03.2021 - 19:18 [ RT.com ]

Israel’s High Court bars Netanyahu from appointing top law enforcement & justice officials as it could affect his corruption trial

In their decision on Thursday, the judges sided with Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, who earlier laid out conflict of interest rules regarding Netanyahu‘s situation. Mandelblit insisted that the PM must be prevented from appointing officials who would have the power to influence the probe against him.

19.03.2021 - 23:34 [ Movement for Quality Government in Israel ]

We petitioned the High Court of Justice in demand of a full investigation regarding the Submarines Affair

Our investigative department got hold of new evidence concerning the Submarines Affair (our efforts continue – the department still investigates the affair in full energy). In our petition to the High Court of Justice we requested the judges to order the following:

1. Criminal investigation of Netanyahu’s Steel Shares Affair. 2. Criminal investigation against Netanyahu in the Submarines Affair. 3. Establishing a State Inquiry Committee in order to finally investigate this severe affair.

19.03.2021 - 05:32 [ Haaretz ]

Why Is Netanyahu Still Standing After All This Time?

Election Overdose podcast, episode 12, five days to go: Did Bibi‘s handling of COVID-19 help or harm his electoral prospects ■ How the center-left opposition failed so miserably ■ Plus: Polls galore and last-minute surprises

13.01.2021 - 10:00 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Netanyahu trial postponed by coronavirus lockdown

(09.01.2021)

The order could potentially postpone the calling of witnesses to right before Election Day, or right after.

The order came less than 48 hours after the same court rejected Netanyahu’s request for postponing his January 13 hearing next week.

08.01.2021 - 21:17 [ Haaretz ]

President Rivlin, Act Now – Before It‘s Too Late

The moment of truth for our future is approaching. What we saw the other day on the steps of the Capitol and inside it is a warning sign. Netanyahu’s readiness to break every rule and law is obvious, and reached a peak at the start of his trial, with that scene in the courthouse that could have come right out of a gangster movie. And in fact, the prosecutor in his trial is already under guard day and night, just like the prosecutors in the trials of organized crime bosses, and for the same reasons.

The trial has begun, and so a new situation is before us.

28.12.2020 - 11:55 [ Haaretz ]

This Incredible Story Proves Netanyahu Has No Limits

The High Court, its president, Esther Hayut, the prosecution, Mendelblit, all have been subjected to brutal, ugly attacks. There’s no reason to envy them. But if there’s one thing they understand from their own life experience: Silence and capitulation is no way to stop a serial attacker.

30.09.2020 - 23:20 [ Haaretz ]

A Body Blow to Democracy

It’s important to be precise: In practice, this legislation does not limit demonstrations, it bans them. The proposed restrictions are so draconian that they amount to a prohibition. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is attempting, in the most cynical fashion, to exploit the coronavirus and the restrictions needed to fight its spread in order to undermine fundamental democratic rights and to suppress the dissent against him and his incorrigible government.

30.09.2020 - 23:07 [ The Jerusalem Post / Twitter ]

The High Court of Justice has given little help to the #protest movement against Prime Minister Benjamin #Netanyahu, slow-walking their petition to strike down new corona-era limits on demonstrations. @jeremybob1 reports.

30.09.2020 - 23:05 [ Times of Israel ]

High Court says it won’t block a coronavirus law limiting protests, for now

Justice Neal Hendel has given the government a week — until October 7 — to respond to the Movement for Quality Government’s petition, according to an update by the plaintiffs on their Twitter account.

14.08.2020 - 23:20 [ Haaretz ]

The Netanyahu Crime Syndicate‘s Open Season on the Legal System

To understand what the crime syndicate that has taken over this country is after, one must first understand the goals of the man who leads it. The criminal defendant bunkered down in Balfour Street has three goals: to remain prime minister, to cancel his trial and to prevent the truth from coming out about the so-called steel shares and submarines affairs (which could result in charges that are much more serious than those in his current trial).