Fourth Reading
The High Court of Justice froze four Knesset laws, including the Detainees Law and the Media Law, with interim and temporary orders. The author claims this is a record of freeze orders that changes the relationship between the Knesset and the court, turning elections into a symbolic event. He compares accessibility of polling stations in nursing homes to the fate of ballots after counting, and calls for focusing on the impact of choice on policy.
The High Court of Justice froze four laws enacted by the Knesset: the Bar Association Budget Law, the Family Reunification of Terrorists Law, the Detainees Law, and the Media Law, using interim or temporary orders issued without an initial hearing. The author, Gil Bringer, claims this is a record of parallel freeze orders never seen before, and that it changes the relationship between the Knesset and the court, which becomes an institution whose approval is required as a "fourth reading" for laws. He criticizes the court's insensitivity to the will of voters after elections, and compares accessibility of polling stations in nursing homes to the fate of ballots that are shredded in the law books. The author quotes Jeremy Waldron, who calls the right to participation the "right of rights," and argues that democracy is not only the right to choose but the right that the choice changes the state. He brings an example from the 2018 infiltrators' outline, where Netanyahu backed down from the outline after public pressure, and claims that responsiveness to the public proved itself in measures of removing infiltrators.