Judicial Selection Committee Convenes for First Time in 18 Months Under Levin
Israel's nine-member Judicial Selection Committee convened Sunday for the first time in roughly a year and a half, taking up appointments to magistrates, traffic and family courts in the northern and southern districts. Justice Minister Yariv Levin had refused to call the panel since January 2025, citing his lack of a majority for preferred candidates and the looming entry into force, after October's elections, of the 2025 Basic Law amendment restructuring judicial appointments. The High Court ordered him to convene after months of petitions. Israel now has 51 vacancies across magistrates and district courts, projected to rise to 67 by year-end, with the Beersheba District Court missing 5 of its 24 judges (21 percent of the bench) and Haifa missing 3 of 35. Sunday's session marks a partial thaw in a standoff that has stretched courts thin while the structural reform debate continues.