Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Constitution, Law and Justice Committee chairman Simcha Rothman on Tuesday unveiled the next phase of the Religious Zionism Party’s judicial overhaul plan, calling for changes they said would restore a balance among the branches of government.
The plan calls for splitting the attorney general’s role between a government legal adviser and a separate official overseeing prosecutions; regulating judicial review; changing Supreme Court appointment and management procedures; strengthening the Knesset; and expanding protections for defendants in criminal proceedings.
Smotrich said the party, which he leads, would demand implementation of the program if it joins the next government after Israel’s Oct. 27 election. He noted that 10 Supreme Court justices, an attorney general and a state attorney are expected to be appointed during the next Knesset’s term.
The proposal also includes allowing ministers to appoint legal advisers in their ministries and an “override clause” that would enable lawmakers to overturn Supreme Court rulings.
“The government will be able to govern, the Knesset will be able to legislate, and the judicial system will operate within the bounds of its authority,” Smotrich wrote in an X post announcing the plan. “We have already advanced reforms to the judicial system, and in the next term we will complete the task, with God’s help.”
