Knesset passes controversial Judicial Selection Law amid large protests and opposition boycotts

In a scene reminiscent of the spring and summer of 2023, when tens of thousands of Israelis were protesting the coalition government’s Judicial Reform bills in front of the Knesset and Supreme Court in Jerusalem, thousands of people again gathered outside the Knesset on Wednesday night. 

The immediate issue was the Knesset vote on the controversial Judicial Selection bill, which was passed and will now put more control over the makeup of the committee in the hands of the government than previously.

However, the crowd also included anti-Netanyahu protesters, hostage family members upset at the resumption of military operations in Gaza, and those opposed to the firing of Shin Bet head Ronen Bar as well as the government's plans to remove Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. 

Protests also took place in Tel Aviv and other cities across Israel. Some opposition groups threatened a shutdown of the Israeli economy if the bill passed, however, it is not clear if the move will have the support of the national labor union, Histadrut.

As the Knesset began its final reading on the Judicial Selection Committee bill, there were reports of an opposition filibuster being prepared in an attempt to delay or interrupt the bill’s passage. 

The Judicial Selection Committee bill, first proposed in 2023, aims to place more control over the judicial appointments process in the hands of the government while reducing the influence of the judiciary over appointments to the Supreme Court. 

Although the bill was hotly contested in 2023, with massive demonstrations across the country, the beginning of the Knesset session for the final reading drew fewer crowds this time. 

The bill was approved in back-to-back readings, with the final vote being counted in the morning hours. 

After attempts at a filibuster, the opposition parties largely boycotted the final vote, after the coalition demonstrated the necessary count to pass the bill regardless. 

The bill's latest iteration was the result of a joint proposal by Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, which had been intended as a “compromise outline” but in the end, failed to receive broad support from the opposition.

The new law changes the Judicial Selection Committee by replacing two representatives of the Israel Bar Association with two lawyers, one chosen by the coalition and one chosen by the opposition.

The law also gives veto power to the political representatives, both from the coalition and the opposition. 

The highly contentious bill drew an unprecedented 71,023 objections, which necessitated the overnight reading and vote. 

Immediately after the passing of the bill into law, three petitions were filed to the High Court of Justice against it. The petitions were filed by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), and the Yesh Atid party.

The petitions argued that the law, which is an amendment to the Basic Law: the Judiciary, is an unconstitutional amendment. 

Israel does not have a written constitution, and the attempt to argue that certain bills or laws are unconstitutional has always involved an amount of judicial argumentation based on principles not explicitly elucidated.

The coalition government has argued that this gives the judicial branch of the government an outsized influence, and leads to judicial activism. It portrays the new law as restoring balance to the system. 

Opposition parties claim that the basic democratic values of the State of Israel are laid out in the Declaration of Independence and the Basic Laws. They view attempts to change those by a simple majority as damaging to the constitutional tradition in Israeli law. 

Leaders of the opposition groups released a statement following the bill’s passage this morning, criticizing the law and promising to overturn it in the next government. 

“The government of Israel has just approved a law with one goal – to ensure that judges become subject to the will of politicians,” the opposition statement said. “In the next government, we will ensure that the law changing the Judicial Selection Committee is repealed, restoring the selection of judges to a fair and professional committee.” 

The opposition groups also attacked the coalition for passing Judicial Reform laws, “while 59 hostages are still held in Gaza.” 

“Instead of focusing all efforts on bringing them home and healing the divisions in the nation, this government is once again engaging in the very legislation that divided the public before October 7,” they said. 

The bill’s passage comes just days after the coalition government successfully passed the 2025 budget, despite several ongoing disagreements.