Israel’s Supreme Court delays pivotal judicial overhaul hearing after attorney general opposes plan

By JULIA FRANKEL
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Supreme Court has delayed the first of three pivotal hearings on the legality of the judicial overhaul, spearheaded by the far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu, after the country’s attorney general expressed staunch opposition to the plan. The hearing on Tuesday dealt with the legality of Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s refusal to convene the committee which selects all the judges across Israel. The delay will give Levin, who is a key architect of the overhaul, time to seek independent counsel after Israel’s attorney general said she was staunchly opposed to his position. Lawyers for Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara will now argue against the justice minister’s counsel in court, a situation which experts said is highly exceptional.