Slippery Slope

A Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court judge was summoned Wednesday for a clarification meeting by Supreme Court President Asher Grunis to address complaints that he made sexual comments to a police prosecutor during a hearing in his court last week. (Haaretz)

(Hebrew – Walla!)

Israeli police investigators have been waiting for the past three years for the approval of Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein to commence an investigator of a judge from the center of Israel who is suspected of beating his children. (Haaretz)

(Hebrew – Ynet)

“The outposts committee” which examined the legal status of Israel in the occupied territories found that legally, Israel’s presence in those territories is not an occupation. Committee members, including former Judge Edmond Levy, District Court Judge Techia Shapira and jurist Dr. Alan Baker recommend to adopt a new legal infrastructure regarding Israel’s status in Judea and Samaria. The committee claims that since previous to the Israeli occupation Jordan controlled the area without being the sovereign state there, the Israeli presence cannot now be defined as occupation in the legal sense of the word.

(Hebrew)

Investigators from the economic investigation unit asked for a meeting with Judge Abraham Heiman, vice president of the Magistrate Court of Rishon Leziyon, to present their evidence before any suspects were arrested and while the investigation was still under cover.

(Hebrew)

Tel-Aviv District Court Judge Michal Agmon-Gonen presided in two cases involving her close personal friend Yaacov Luxenburg. In the first case, she was forced to disqualify herself after making several judicial decisions. In the second case she avoided disqualification so far without revealing her personal connections to the other side.

(Hebrew)

The chief of security at the IDF’s Intelligence arm, code-named “Max”, has applied to Tel-Aviv District Court judge Dalia Ganot for a gag order regarding the compensation suit filed against the state by “Captain George”, who was responsible for the interrogation of Mustafa Dirani and whose identity remains confidential, and for the proceedings to be held behind closed doors.

(Hebrew)

MK David Rotem (Yisrael Beitenu) has stated that he will ask the Minister of Justice to depose Supreme Court Justice Salim Joubran for refusing to sing the national anthem at the retirement ceremony of Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch.  Following the incident MK Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) announced that he intends to put forward the ‘Joubran bill,’ according to which a judge who did not serve in the IDF or national service[?] would not be able to serve as a Supreme Court Justice.

An organization representing the country’s judges is seeking to have a law passed that would bar publication of the fact that a complaint is filed with the judicial ombudsman against a particular judge.

A complaint presented to Chief Justice of the Jerusalem Magistrate Court, Justice Shulie Dotan, alleges that one of the court’s justices, Shimon Shtein, delegated authority to a court recorder, who held legal hearings on his behalf.    Even though Shtein was absent from the court room in several cases he still signed his name to court decisions.

(Hebrew)

The Israel National Labor Court determined that Regional Court Justice Sarah Meiri acted in violation of the law when she took sides in a case she adjudicated and ruled in opposition to the facts and while ignoring the rulings of the National Labor Court on appeals lodged in the framework of the case.

(Hebrew)