Q&A: The Judicial Reform
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
The Judicial Reform
Question
Hello Rabbi,
If Levin’s reform passes in the radical format in which it is being proposed now (or with only minor nuanced differences), does the Rabbi think there is room for intervention by the High Court of Justice to strike it down?
Thank you
Answer
That is too general a question. In principle, once the reform has passed lawfully, there is no ground to invalidate it and the court has no authority to intervene unless it contradicts some law. Is it right to do so even without authority? That is a different question, mainly a tactical one.
Suppose it was reported that Mandelblit says that if a radical reform passes, the court is authorized to strike it down because of a “violation of the fundamental principles of the system.” So I want to understand the Rabbi: is the Rabbi arguing that perhaps tactically it would be possible to strike it down on such grounds, but that the court does not actually have the authority to use that ground? (Which, by the way, is also accepted in other democracies around the world.)