In Israel, 79 judges and senior registrars sworn in after hiring pause
In Jerusalem, Israel, 79 judges and senior court registrars were sworn in at the president’s residence. The ceremony marked the first major replenishment of the judicial system after an approximately 18-month pause in recruitment, The Jerusalem Post reports.
The official list included 62 judges and 17 senior court registrars. Among the judges, six were appointed to district courts, 44 to magistrates’, family and juvenile courts, and another 12 to traffic courts.
Appointments after court ruling
The ceremony at the president’s residence was hosted by President Isaac Herzog. Supreme Court President Isaac Amit and Justice Minister Yariv Levin also took part. Their joint appearance came amid a prolonged dispute over the work of the Judicial Selection Committee, chaired by Levin.
The officials were selected during committee meetings on June 28 and July 1, the first broad round of appointments since January 2025. Initially, the committee selected 53 candidates for permanent positions and temporarily assigned 15 serving judges to district courts; three days later, it selected another 26 judges and registrars.
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On May 31, the High Court unanimously ruled that disagreements over candidates do not give the minister the right to indefinitely refrain from convening the committee. The court ordered Levin to take steps to fill vacancies in district courts, primarily in Be’er Sheva and Haifa. Levin called the ruling illegal and said that the court was usurping the justice minister’s authority.
Supreme Court vacancies remain
The swearing-in of the newly appointed officials does not resolve the issue of four vacancies on the Supreme Court, where 11 of the stipulated 15 judges are currently serving. Appointment to the highest judicial instance requires the support of at least seven of the nine members of the Judicial Selection Committee.
In its May ruling, the High Court did not require the minister to fill Supreme Court vacancies because of the special voting procedure. At the same time, the court noted that the highest instance has been operating without a full complement for almost three years, despite an increasing workload.
A law passed in March 2025 provides for changes to the committee’s composition and voting rules when the next Knesset begins its work. The petitioners and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara believe the changes will strengthen political influence over judicial selection, while the government and the Knesset say the reform will make the judicial system more representative.
