For the first time in Israel’s history, all 15 of its Supreme Court justices will crowd onto the bench on Sept. 12 to hear a case together.
The reason: This one is so momentous that it could not only decide the powers of the court itself but also kindle a constitutional crisis.
The 15-member court — which meets in a graceful building of beige stone, straight lines and arches on a hill in Jerusalem alongside Parliament — includes secular liberals, religiously observant Jews and conservative residents of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.
One justice is an Arab Israeli; six are women, including the court’s president.
Many Israelis fear that the overhaul will weaken the court as a check on the government, currently the most right-wing and religiously conservative in Israeli history; accelerate a rightward shift of the judiciary that started almost a decade ago; and make it more politicized and less independent.
Persons:
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Organizations:
West Bank
Locations:
Jerusalem, Arab