Breaking the Rules: Supreme Court Justice Yitzchak Amit and Justice Minister Yariv Levin Clash Publicly
A direct and unusually sharp confrontation erupted Thursday evening between Supreme Court Justice Yitzchak Amit and Justice Minister Yariv Levin, after Amit delivered a forceful speech accusing Levin of orchestrating “a campaign to harm the judicial branch.” Levin answered swiftly with his own pointed rebuke: “What did you think would happen when you put yourself above the law?”
The dispute surfaced at a conference on public law, where Amit criticized Levin for refusing to recognize his appointment as president of the Supreme Court — an appointment made in defiance of statutory procedures. According to Amit, the minister’s refusal to cooperate reflects an intentional effort to undermine the judiciary, citing Levin’s own earlier remark: “What was built here over decades takes time to dismantle, it doesn’t end in one day.” Amit added, “The words speak for themselves.”
Amit opened his remarks by warning that “the attack on the judicial system continues in full force.” Reflecting on the recent ruling striking down the Reasonableness Law, he compared the country’s constitutional instability to a democracy caught in a dangerous spiral, saying that Israel’s democratic system “has entered a turbulent vortex from which we have not yet emerged.”
While emphasizing that public criticism of the courts is legitimate and essential, he noted that dissent must not morph into direct obstruction. He condemned what he described as coordinated efforts to disrupt hearings, saying: “Unfortunately, in these days, we are witnessing an unprecedented phenomenon of attempts — organized and timed — to interfere with and disrupt hearings in the courtrooms.” Such actions, he said, ultimately harm the public seeking fair and thorough judicial review.
Amit revealed that earlier this week, the court authorized restrictions on public attendance in hearings likely to be disrupted, explaining that when a hearing is broadcast and there is risk of interference, “it will be possible to restrict admission to the courtroom.”
He argued that personal attacks on judges have replaced substantive legal discourse, warning that the rise of online speech has flattened public understanding into simplistic slogans. He described some of the rhetoric directed at judges as “verbal violence” and said it is being used deliberately to weaken judicial independence. These attacks, he argued, are part of “a broader campaign to erode and harm judicial independence.”
Amit then accused Levin of directly contributing to this erosion by boycotting Israel’s top court for more than a year: “For about a year and a half, the justice minister has been boycotting the judicial system, and by doing so, he is boycotting the Israeli public that turns to the courts.” Amit said he repeatedly urged Levin to return to professional cooperation, but these attempts received “no response — not a sisterly hand, but a turned back.”
Levin’s response was immediate and scathing. Addressing Amit directly, he opened: “Respect democracy, and I will be the first to respect you.”
He accused Amit and other senior judges of illegally seizing control of the Judicial Selection Committee. “Justice Yitzchak Amit, what did you think would happen when you and your colleagues, in an unlawful order, took over the committee for selecting judges?” Levin asked. He said Amit prevented examination of serious complaints against him and “imposed on the citizens of Israel a ‘president’ of a court who tramples again and again the majority of the public.”
“You place yourself and your colleagues above the law. Everything is permitted for you,” Levin charged, adding that Amit blocked investigative committees in key scandals and fostered a culture of mutually protective behavior: “Close for me and I’ll close for you.”
Levin turned Amit’s earlier criticism on its head, saying: “There was one thing you said tonight that was correct: I really am dismantling. I am dismantling brick by brick the fortress of lies in which you and your colleagues sit. But I am also building — rebuilding the judicial system as it was in its days of greatness.”
He ended with a final challenge: “Every compromise offered to you, you dismissed with contempt. So I will nevertheless offer another compromise proposal: Respect democracy, and I will be the first to respect you.”
{Matzav.com}
