Yitzhak Amit Explained

Issac Amit
Office:President of the Supreme Court of Israel
Office1:Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Israel
Term Start1:2009
Nominator1:Yaakov Neeman
Appointer1:Shimon Peres
Predecessor:Uzi Vogelman (acting)
Office2:Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Israel
Office3:Expected
Term Start3:2024
Term End3:2028
Predecessor3:Uzi Vogelman
Successor3:Noam Sohlberg-->
Birth Date:1958 10, df=yes
Birth Place:Tel Aviv, Israel
Nationality:Israeli
Education:Hebrew University of Jerusalem (LLB)
Status:Acting
Term Start:1 October 2024

Isaac Amit (he|יצחק עמית|translit=Yitzhak Amit, born 20 October 1958) is a judge on the Supreme Court of Israel and serves as the acting President of the Supreme Court of Israel since 1 October 2024.[1] Amit has had a major impact on the Supreme Court as a liberal justice.[2]

Amit was born and raised in Tel Aviv. He attended a religious high school and graduated in 1976. He served in the Israel Defense Forces as an officer in Unit 8200, and was discharged in 1980. In 1981, he began studying law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Laws in 1985.[3] He was granted a license to practice law in 1986 and worked as a lawyer in private practice.

In 1997, he was appointed a judge on the Acre Magistrates Court, and subsequently a judge on the Haifa Magistrates Court. He then became a judge on the Haifa District Court. He was elected to the Supreme Court in August 2009, and took office in October 2009.[4] In 2023, Amit was expected to become President of the Supreme Court, following Esther Hayut's retirement.[5] However, due to the objection of the Minister of Justice, Yariv Levin, Uzi Vogelman became acting President of the Supreme Court of Israel from 16 October 2023 until he stepped down reaching retirement age on 1 October 2024.

Amit became the acting President of the Supreme Court of Israel after Vogelman stepped down, until a permanent president is appointed by the Judicial Selection Committee, which may take place sometime in November 2024. Since 2023, Levin has blocked the accession of Amit as permanent president, who should be appointed based on the longstanding seniority-based system.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Vogelman retires as Supreme Court president in shadow of severe judiciary-gov’t clash . Times of Israel.
  2. Web site: Supreme Court head rejects Levin plan to make conservative judge chief justice for a year . Times of Israel.
  3. News: MK Ariel: 'The Best Appointments We Could Have Gotten' . 23 August 2009 . Gil . Ronen.
  4. Web site: Justices and Registrars of the Supreme Court. Israeli Supreme Court .
  5. News: Justice Vogelman Expected to Decline Supreme Court Presidency . en . Haaretz . 2023-08-03.