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26 Tammuz 5767 - July 12, 2007 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
Knesset Approves Law Limiting Court Presidents and VPs to One 7-Year Term

By Eliezer Rauchberger

The Knesset plenum approved in second and third readings on Monday a proposal by Justice Minister Daniel Friedman to limit the term of all court presidents and vice presidents, including the offices of the High Court president and vice president, to a single seven-year term.

The new law also states that judges should not be appointed to these posts if due to their age or any other reason they would be unable to serve for at least three years. The law will not apply to judges currently serving as court presidents. Forty-nine MKs from both the coalition and opposition voted in favor of the bill, while only five MKs from Meretz and Hadash opposed it. MK Ophir Pines abstained.

During the Constitutional Committee discussions on the bill, High Court President Judge Dorit Beinish voiced staunch opposition, calling it "superfluous."

Minister Friedman said it was "an important law" and he was pleased with the broad consensus among MKs, including opposition members. He said it would guarantee the independence of court presidents as well as regular turnover. "This is another building block in the steps I am taking to improve the functioning of the courts and guarantee their independence," he said.

MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni voiced his objections to the almost unlimited term of the High Court president, pointing out that in a democracy other powerful figures such as the prime minister, the president, ministers and MKs are elected for a set period of time. He claimed Meretz is overlooking the appropriateness of the law because the current High Court matches its worldview completely.

According to the current law High Court presidents continue to serve until they reach retirement at age 70.

 

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