Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked on Thursday marked a significant achievement in her efforts to change the makeup of the Supreme Court, considered a liberal bastion, as two conservatives were appointed to the bench.
The Judicial Nominations Committee, which Shaked heads, named renowned criminal law Professor Alex Stein and Central District Court Judge Ofer Grosskopf to the Supreme Court, replacing Justices Yoram Danziger and Uri Shoham, whose terms end later this year.
Stein, 61, is considered one of the leading Israeli academics in the field of criminal law and is an expert on European and American law. He is the first Israeli Supreme Court justice to hail from the former Soviet Union.
Grosskopf, 48, earned his law degrees from Tel Aviv University and Harvard University and was named to the Central District Court in 2009.
The Judicial Nominations Committee has nine members, seven of whom must agree on a candidate for an appointment to go through.
The current committee comprises Shaked, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, Yisrael Beytenu MK Robert Ilatov, Likud MK Nurit Koren, Chief Justice Esther Hayut, Supreme Court justices Yoram Danziger and Hannan Melcer, and Israel Bar Association members Efi Naveh and Ilana Saker.
Shaked, one of Habayit Hayehudi's ministers, has often spoken in favor of incorporating more conservative views into the court.
"This is a festive day for the Israeli judiciary. Stein and Grosskopf are legal luminaries who come from diverse and unique backgrounds and no one disputes their merit," Shaked said. "When I took office, one of the goals I set was to increase diversity in the Supreme Court. I have no doubt their contribution to the Supreme Court will leave its mark on the history of the Israeli judiciary."
Shaked said Stein's and Grosskopf's appointments "are part of a process of returning the court to its basic function: interpreting the norms that parliament decides, not replacing it."
Hayut said the Judicial Nominations Committee "named 27 judges to all branches of the judicial system, and two of the best candidates have been named to the Supreme Court, one an excellent judge and the other an academic respected in Israel and around the world. I have no doubt that both will make a significant contribution to the Supreme Court."
Ilatov, who strongly advocated for Stein, said, "This is a historic day. I am proud and excited to congratulate the first immigrant from the Soviet Union to be appointed to the Supreme Court. The glass ceiling has been shattered. We are witnessing the correction of a historical injustice toward former Soviet Union immigrants, who until recently have not been properly represented in the legal system.
"The process that I initiated two years ago, to ensure equal opportunities to the entire spectrum of Israeli society, has peaked with the appointment of Professor Alex Stein, a renowned legal expert, whose books and essays are studied in the world's leading universities. While he was chosen for the role over his exceptional legal abilities, I am pleased that for the first time, we will see the proper representation in the judiciary for the 1.4 million Soviet Union immigrants living in Israel."
