Last update - 00:00 22/08/2007
Retired Supreme Court justices slam Justice Minister for reforms
By Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondent
Retired Supreme Court justices slammed Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann on Wednesday, criticizing what they called the minister's infringement on the judiciary's independence.
At a conference discussing the functioning of the Supreme Court, which took place Wednesday at the Van Leer Institute in Jerusalem, retired Supreme Court justice Dalia Dorner decreed the advent of a "legal revolution," in which the government is controlling the judicial authority, stating that "in the near future the judicial authority will lose its independence."
Since his appointment to the post of Justice Minister in February, Friedmann has instituted a number of reforms aimed at curbing the power of the Supreme Court, and allowing for greater control on the executive level of government. Measures that have raised particular ire among members of the judiciary concern authority over the appointment of justices, which has traditionally come under the jurisdiction of the judicial branch.
Dorner continued, claiming that "if the loss of judicial independence continues, the High Court of Justice will cease to make rulings, no one will turn to it, and no one will fear it."
Calling the personal rivalry between Supreme Court president Dorit Beinisch and Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann a "distraction," Dorner went so far as to claim that "the democratic state with which we are familiar will not exist for my grandchildren," should the process of appointing justices continue to be reformed.
Retired justice Yitzhak Zamir also raised doubts at the conference, regarding the personal independence of judges, calling the current situation "impossible and insufferable."
Zamir challenged Friedmann to forfeit his authority in choosing steering committees involved in appointing Supreme Court presidents. "The ball is now in his court," he said.
Zamir called on those present "to protect the judicial authority from harassment."
"We need to remember that the power balance between the Justice Minister and the Supreme Court president is not proportional. The Supreme Court president has not come out with any requests, demands or initiatives against the Justice Minister or the government, but she is under constant attack by the side in power. The court is in a position of weakness."
Retired Justice Mishael Cheshin, the former deputy president of the Supreme Court, said that, "It is hard to believe that just six months have passed since Friedmann was appointed minister. It is hard to believe that one person could cause so much harm in a matter of six months."