The Judicial Appointments Committee on Sunday appointed attorney Hanan Meltzer to the Supreme Court.

The nomination is precedent setting, as no other lawyer from the private sector has ever been made a Supreme Court justice.

In 1992 Mishael Cheshin was appointed to the Supreme Court after 14 years in the private sector, but prior to that he had worked for the State Prosecutor's Office and served as deputy attorney general.

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Meltzer is a close friend of Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann - chairman of the nominations committee - and enjoyed the support of the Israel Bar Association representatives on the committee. Friedmann did not participate in the vote to appoint Meltzer.

After the vote, Friedmann said " the selection committee has made an important move when it chose a candidate from the private sector for the Supreme Court. As I said when I began my term, I see great importance in the incorporation of lawyers in the justice system." Friedmann also congratulated Meltzer for his appointment.

Meltzer, 56, owns a large legal practice. He has handled the legal aspects of some of Israel's largest infrastructure projects, and served as chairman of the Labor Party's constitution committee. He currently teaches law at Tel Aviv University.

The appointments committee can select up to four more new Supreme Court Justices for permanent Supreme Court positions, and is likely to convene within the next few months to do so.