Israel's Supreme Court to Hear Petitions Against Judicial Law

On Wednesday, Israel’s Supreme Court announced that it will hear petitions against a new law that limits some of its powers, potentially setting up a confrontation between the court and the government.

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A new law that cancels the Supreme Court’s power to overrule government decisions by deeming them “unreasonable” was passed by Israeli parliament on Monday, sparking stormy demonstrations across the country.

After the new law was passed, the Israel Bar Association, several civil rights groups, and former senior military officials filed petitions to the Supreme Court, requesting an injunction to prevent the law from going into effect until the Supreme Court reviews it.

Judge David Mintz rejected the request to freeze the law, and as a result, the law went into effect on Wednesday. However, the Supreme Court’s decision to hear petitions means that it now has the chance to either reject the petitions or issue an order to cancel the law.

In a written decision posted on the court’s website, Mintz set the hearing for the appeals in September, ordering the government and parliament to file their responses to the petitions in advance.

The law is the first stage of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to reshape the legal system — a divisive reform that has thrown Israeli society into turmoil. Opponents argue that it undermines the rule of law in Israel.

Netanyahu’s far-right government, however,  maintains that the judicial reform is necessary to curb the overly “activist and leftist” legal system.

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