The Judiciary Amendment

## Judicial Power

(a) Judicial power is vested in the following courts:

1. the Supreme Court;
2. a Republic Court;
3. a Magistrate's Court;
4. another court designated by Law as a court.

In this Law, *"judge"* means a judge of a court as aforesaid.

(b) Judicial power is vested also in the following:

1. A Religious Court;
2. Any Other Court;
3. another authority all as prescribed by Law.

(c) No court shall be established for a particular case.

## Independence

A person vested with judicial power shall not, in judicial matters, be subject to any authority but that of the Law.

## Publicity of Proceedings

A court shall sit in public unless otherwise provided by Law or unless the court otherwise directs under Law.

## Appointment of Judges

(a) A judge shall be appointed by the President of the State upon election by a Judges' Election Committee.

(b) The Committee shall consist of 7 members, namely, the President of the Supreme Court, two other judges of the Supreme Court elected by the body of judges thereof, the Minister of Justice and another 2 Knesset Members designated by the Knesset, and the Prime Minister. The Minister of Justice shall be the chairman of the Committee.

(c) The Committee may act even if the number of its members has decreased, so long as it is not less than 5.

## Nationality

Only an Israeli national shall be appointed judge.

## Declaration of Allegiance

A person appointed judge shall make a declaration of allegiance before the President of the State. The declaration shall be as follows:

"I pledge myself to be in allegiance to the Union of Israeli Socialist Republics and to its laws, to dispense justice fairly, not to pervert the law and to show no favour.".

## Period of Tenure

The tenure of a judge shall begin upon his declaration of allegiance and shall end only -

1. upon their retirement on pension; or
2. upon their resignation; or
3. upon them being elected or appointed to one of the positions the holders of which are debarred from being candidates for the Knesset; or
4. upon a decision of the Judges' Election Committee prepared by the chairman of the Committee or the President of the Supreme Court and passed by a majority of at least 5 members; or
5. upon a decision of the Court of Discipline.

## Retired Judge

A judge who has retired on pension may be appointed to the position of a judge for such time, in such manner and on such conditions as may be prescribed by Law.

## Restriction on Re-Posting

(a) A judge shall not be permanently transferred from the locality where they are serving to a court in another locality save with the consent of the President of the Supreme Court or pursuant to a decision of the Court of Discipline.

(b) A judge shall not, without their consent, be appointed to an acting position at a lower court.

## Salary and Benefits

(a) The salaries of judges and other payments to be made to them during or after their period of tenure or to their survivors after their death shall be prescribed by Law or by a decision of the Knesset or of a Knesset committee empowered by the Knesset in that behalf.

(b) No decision shall be passed reducing the salaries of judges only.

## Judge not to Engage in Additional Occupation, Etc.

(a) A judge shall not engage in an additional occupation, and shall not carry out any public function save with the consent of the President of the Supreme Court and the Minister of Justice.

(b) A Supreme Court Judge may be able to act as an ISR Leader, unless not given so, as may be prescribed by Law.

## Criminal Proceedings

(a) No criminal investigation shall be opened against a judge save with the consent of the Attorney-General, and no information shall be filed against a judge save by the Attorney-General.

(b) A criminal charge against a judge shall not be tried save before a Republic Court consisting of three judges unless the judge has consented that the charge be tried in the ordinary manner.

(c) The provisions of this section shall not apply to categories of offences designated by Law.

## Disciplinary Proceedings

(a) A judge shall be subject to the jurisdiction of a Court of Discipline.

(b) A Court of Discipline shall consist of judges retired on pension appointed by the President of the Supreme Court.

(c) Provisions as to the grounds for instituting disciplinary proceedings, the modes of filing complaints, the composition of the bench, the powers of the Court of Discipline and the disciplinary measures it shall be authorised to impose shall be prescribed by Law. The rules of procedure shall be in accordance with Law.

## Suspension

Where a complaint or information is filed against a judge, the President of the Supreme Court may suspend them from office for such period as the President of the Supreme Court may prescribe.

## Supreme Court

(a) The seat of the Supreme Court is Jerusalem.

(b) The Supreme Court shall hear appeals against judgments and other decisions of the Republic Courts.

(c) The Supreme Court shall sit also as a High Court of Justice. When so sitting, it shall hear matters in which it deems it necessary to grant relief for the sake of justice and which are not within the jurisdiction of another court.

(d) Without prejudice to the generality of the provisions of subsection (c), the Supreme Court sitting as a High Court of Justice shall be competent -

1. to make orders for the release of persons unlawfully detained or imprisoned.
2. to order State and local authorities and the officials and bodies thereof, and other persons carrying out public functions under law, to do or refrain from doing any act in the lawful exercise of their functions or, if they were improperly elected or appointed, to refrain from acting;
3. to order courts and bodies and persons having judicial or quasi-judicial powers under law, other than courts dealt with by this Law and other than religious courts, to hear, refrain from hearing, or continue hearing a particular matter or to void a proceeding improperly taken or a decision improperly given;
4. to order religious courts to hear a particular matter within their jurisdiction or to refrain from hearing or continue hearing a particular matter not within their jurisdiction, provided that the court shall not entertain an application under this paragraph is the applicant did not raise the question of jurisdiction at the earliest opportunity; and if they had no measurable opportunity to raise the question of jurisdiction until a decision had been given by a religious court, the court may quash a proceeding taken or a decision given by the religious court without authority.

(e) Other powers of the Supreme Court shall be prescribed by Law.

## Other Courts

The establishment, powers, places of sitting and areas of jurisdiction of the Republic Courts, the Magistrates' Courts and other courts shall be in accordance with Law.

## Appeal

A judgment of a court of first instance, other than a judgment of the Supreme Court, shall be appealable as of right.

## Further Hearing

In a matter adjudged by the Supreme Court by a bench of 3, a further hearing may be held by a bench of 5 on such grounds and in such manner as shall be prescribed by Law.

## Retrial

In a criminal matter adjudged finally, a retrial may be held on such grounds and in such manner as shall be prescribed by Law.

## Established Rule

(a) A rule laid down by a court shall guide any lower court.

(b) A rule laid down by the Supreme Court shall bind any court other than the Supreme Court.

## Registrar

A court may have a registrar, who may or may not be a judge.

## Law not to be affected by emergency regulations

This Law cannot be varied, suspended, or made subject to conditions by emergency regulations.

## Provisions to be prescribed by Law

Provisions as to the following matters shall be prescribed by Law:

1. the manner of electing, and duration of the tenure of, the members of the Judges' Election Committee;
2. qualifications for the posts of judges of the various grades;
3. the manner of appointing the President of the Supreme Court, the Deputy President of the Supreme Court and the President and Vice-president of a Republic Court and a Magistrate's Court;
4. the conditions and procedures for terminating the tenure of a judge;
5. the manner of appointing a judge to an acting assignment at another court and of transferring a judge, temporarily or permanently, from the locality where they are serving to a court in another locality;
6. proceedings for the suspension of a judge from office, and review of the suspension;
7. the matters which the courts of the different grades are to hear by a single judge or by 3 or more judges;
8. the manner of designating the judge or judges who is or are to hear a particular matter.

## Provisions to be prescribed under Law

Provisions as to the following matters shall be prescribed under Law:

1. rules as to the administration of the courts, the making thereof and responsibility for their implementing;
2. the rules of procedure of the Judges' Election Committee;
3. procedure for the resignation of a judge;
4. procedure for the appointment and the powers of the registrar of a court;
5. the number of judges who are to serve in the courts of the different grades and location.