Last update - 00:00 04/06/2007
Court hopefuls to be quizzed on post-Zionism, Law of Return
By Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondent
The Judicial Appointments Committee (JAC) will conduct first-ever hearings this week for all 12 candidates for the High Court bench, during which candidates will have to state their judicial worldview, and will be asked questions such as their stand on the Law of Return or post-Zionism.
Committee members are divided over the extent of the hearing, and whether candidates should be required to state their views on judicial activism and other issues.
Some panel members plan to ask the candidates questions on the extent of interference the candidate believes is acceptable in security issues other semi-political questions. Other committee members who are judges oppose a "too invasive" hearing of the type accepted in the United States for candidates for the Supreme Court.
The hearings are being held ahead of appointments to the High Court, scheduled for June 24.
The JAC decided to hold the hearings three months ago, and they will also apply to candidates who are sitting judges. Formerly, a subcommittee would only invite candidates who came from outside the judicial system.
At first, 15 minutes were allocated to each of the 12 candidates, however it has been extended to 45 minutes to an hour per candidate over a two-day period, this Thursday and the following Sunday.
Former High Court president Aharon Barak believed the JAC should only check the quality of candidates' verdict-writing skills rather than their judicial world views, to guarantee a variety of opinions on the bench.
Personal questions might also come up at the hearings. For example, the candidate might be given the opportunity to counter rumors concerning him or her. Candidates will not be quizzed on issues now before the High Court or regarding party affiliation.
Meanwhile, Sunday the JAC appointed 17 new judges: five to the District Courts, 11 to the Magistrate's Courts and one to Traffic Court.
Committee members expressed their dissatisfaction Sunday with the fact that 13 of the new judges are women as opposed to only four men. "Judging should not be turned into a profession like teaching," one member said.
Disagreement among the members also emerged over the number of candidates appointed from within the judicial and state prosecution systems, although Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann had said he would work to appoint lawyers from private practice to all levels of the bench.