IDI Responds to the Bar Association Bill

On January 3, 2012, IDI published an advertisement on the front page of Haaretz calling on Prime Minister Netanyahu to reconsider the "Bar Association Bill."

On January 2, 2012, the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee approved the "Bar Association Bill" for its final readings in the Knesset, despite concerns raised by the Attorney General's office and the Committee's own legal adviser. The bill under consideration would change the manner in which the Bar Association's representatives to the Judicial Appointments Committee are selected. In its current formulation, it would also be applied retroactively, cancelling the results of the recent Bar Association's elections, which chose the Association's representatives for the Committee. Supported by Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman, the bill is expected to give coalition supporters an automatic majority in the Judicial Appointments Committee.

During the debate of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, Israel's Deputy Attorney General voiced strong opposition to the proposed bill, arguing that it was intended "to make retroactive changes simply because the various MKs did not like the result of the elections." In the heated meeting of the Likud faction that followed the Committee's decision, eight Likud ministers expressed their reservations about the bill.

On January 3, 2012, IDI published an advertisement on the front page of Haaretz calling on Prime Minister Netanyahu to reconsider this bill. The Hebrew original, as well as a translation, can be found below.

On January 4, 2012, Prime Minister Netanyahu suspended the bill, following the outcry from his own party's ministers, other members of Knesset, the media, and the public.

To Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu,
Prime Minister of the State of Israel

 

 Honorable Mr. Prime Minister, 

RE: The Proposed Amendment to the Bar Association Law - Selection of Representatives to the Judicial Appointments Committee 

To alter the results of a legal election is indecent.

 To stage a political takeover of the judicial appointment process is wrong.

 To apply retroactive changes to the selection process contravenes the rule of law.

 The coalition must stop at the red light.

It must not trample on the rule of law.

 

Mr. Prime Minister,

This is taking place on your watch.
The responsibility is yours.