Israel Supreme Court overturns key part of controversial judicial reform

Israel's Supreme Court on Monday struck down a key part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial judicial reform plan. 

The 8-7 majority decision overturns a law meant to prevent judges from overturning government decisions they deem to be unreasonable. Additionally, in a 12-3 decision, the Israeli Supreme Court decided that they had the authority to review basic laws and intervene in "exceptional cases" where the Knesset, or Israeli parliament,  may exceed its authority. 

The high court said Monday on X, formerly Twitter, that the portion of the law that was overturned "causes severe and unprecedented harm to the core characteristics of Israel as a democratic State."

Discussions involving the judicial reform plan were put on pause after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and resulted in the kidnapping of about 240 others. 

MK Itamar Ben-Gvir, a conservative politician who supported the judicial reform, said that the timing of the court's decision would "weaken" the spirit of the soldiers who are fighting in Gaza. 

"The High Court's ruling is illegal, and includes the annulment of a basic law in a precedent manner, in the absence of a source of legal authority, while conflicting the interests of the judges," he also wrote on X. "This is a dangerous, anti-democratic event - and at this time, above all, a judgment that harms Israel's war effort against its enemies."

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