Democrats Say They Will Lead Committee to Repeal Judicial Overhaul Laws

The Democrats said on Sunday that a party representative would chair a special justice and constitution committee and begin advancing legislation this week to repeal judicial-overhaul laws. The party identified two immediate targets: changes to the Judicial Selection Committee and a law it describes as weakening the attorney general. Democrats chairman Yair Golan called the announcement “the start of the repair.” He said the party would repeal the judicial overhaul and strengthen democracy to prevent a recurrence of what he described as the experience of the previous four years. The announcement follows the approach set out in the Democrats’ published judicial policy program, which commits the party to repealing all judicial-overhaul laws and improving the justice system’s efficiency. That program says repeal alone is insufficient and advocates completing Israel’s constitutional framework, including defining relations among the branches of government in law and protecting fundamental rights through Basic Laws. The program also calls for strengthening the Knesset and the separation of powers, enacting Basic Law: Legislation, and maintaining a professional public service whose senior officials serve the public interest and the law.