On Wednesday February 22, a dramatic event took place in the judicial system when three conservative judges were appointed to the Supreme Court, one of them a resident of the Shomron.

The ability to reach this achievement is a combined result of an excellent Justice Minister, working alongside a professional and experienced body, the Legal Forum.

In April 2016, Minister Yariv Levin, a former member of the Legal Forum was appointed to a special team on behalf of Prime Minister Netanyahu in order to put together a list of candidates for the Supreme Court. Prof. Eliav Shochetman, a member of the Forum and former Dean of Shaarei Mishpat College, drafted a preliminary list of candidates.

The Forum thoroughly examined each candidate in order to provide members of the Committee with the necessary information. In addition, the Forum provided Minister Shaked’s personal assistant with additional candidates based on recommendations from members of the Legal Forum. The Forum prepared a detailed review of all leading candidates while utilizing the Judges Website, and verified and cross-checked the information.

The Forum formed working relations with members of the Judicial Appointment Committee, MK’s Nurit Koren and Robert Ilatuv, and provided them with the necessary professional tools in order to stand their ground against the coalition of judges, supported by relevant professional arguments. The Forum’s connections with the Bar Association also assisted the efforts.

This week the Legal Forum battled against the appointment of two candidates favored by Supreme Court President, Judge Miriam Naor- Judge Ruth Ronen and Judge Nava Ben Or. In order to raise public awareness against their appointment, the Forum published a short video explaining who they are, and advanced it in the media. This is the second time in which the Legal Forum successfully prevented Judge Ruth Ronen from being appointed to the Supreme Court.

As a bonus, Prof. David Han, who was highly recommended by the Legal Forum, was appointed to the District Court. This appointment will assist in paving the way to his possible future appointment to the Supreme Court.

This is the first time that the Supreme Court Judges failed to secure the appointment of their preferred candidates, and the newly appointed judges will play an important role in restoring the judiciary to a professional and fair force, instead of a dominating and over-powering body.

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