Edmund Levy
Encyclopedia
Edmund E. Levy was a judge of the Supreme Court of Israel
and member of the Judicial Selection Committee (Israel)
.
movement. He emigrated to Israel
with is parents at the age of 10, where he grew up in Ramat Gan.
After his military service which ended in 1961, he began working at the Ramla
Magistrate's Court and at the same time studied statutory law at the Tel Aviv University
. In 1970 he got his lawyer license and opened his own office in the city. he also served for a brief time as vice mayor of Ramla on behalf of the Likud
. By 1977 he served as a military judge. By 1979 he was appointed as a Magistrate judge. By 1984 he made District judge.
Levy's main expertise was criminal law, and he stood out as a strict and efficient judge. Among other things, he directed the highly publicized and overheated trial of Yigal Amir
, the murderer of Yitzhak Rabin
, and made sure that the trial should be a regular criminal trial, which was at the same time both praised and criticized.
He was appointed to the Supreme Court
in August 2001 along with Ayala Procaccia
. The kippah
wearing Levy was perceived as representing the Religious Zionists
, an antithesis to the anti religious views represented by Procaccia. In practice, the approach of the two judges is actually very similar, but Levy is considered more of an activist judge
then Procaccia.
On March 24, Levy was elected by the Supreme Court justices to serve on the Judicial Selection Committee
in place of the court's Vice-President Eliezer Rivlin
.
Levy is considered to be an activist judge
, and was always ready when he felt it necessary to intervene in administrative and governmental decisions (including Knesset
laws), even in cases where the court usually does not get involved. This led him to write many court opinions as the single dissenting judge. For example, Levy was the only judge that ruled, in the minority, that the law reducing the social security benefits is illegal.
Supreme Court of Israel
The Supreme Court is at the head of the court system and highest judicial instance in Israel. The Supreme Court sits in Jerusalem.The area of its jurisdiction is all of Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories. A ruling of the Supreme Court is binding upon every court, other than the Supreme...
and member of the Judicial Selection Committee (Israel)
Judicial Selection Committee (Israel)
The Israeli Judicial Committee is the body that nominates Judges for Israeli courts. After their selection the judges are appointed by the President.The committee was established in 1953, following the enactment of the Judges Bill...
.
Biography
Levy was born in Iraq to supporters of the HerutHerut
Herut was the major right-wing political party in Israel from the 1940s until its formal merger into Likud in 1988, and an adherent of Revisionist Zionism.-History:...
movement. He emigrated to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
with is parents at the age of 10, where he grew up in Ramat Gan.
After his military service which ended in 1961, he began working at the Ramla
Ramla
Ramla , is a city in central Israel. The city is predominantly Jewish with a significant Arab minority. Ramla was founded circa 705–715 AD by the Umayyad Caliph Suleiman ibn Abed al-Malik after the Arab conquest of the region...
Magistrate's Court and at the same time studied statutory law at the Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
. In 1970 he got his lawyer license and opened his own office in the city. he also served for a brief time as vice mayor of Ramla on behalf of the Likud
Likud
Likud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had...
. By 1977 he served as a military judge. By 1979 he was appointed as a Magistrate judge. By 1984 he made District judge.
Levy's main expertise was criminal law, and he stood out as a strict and efficient judge. Among other things, he directed the highly publicized and overheated trial of Yigal Amir
Yigal Amir
Yigal Amir is the Israeli assassin of Prime Minister of Israel Yitzhak Rabin. The assassination took place on November 4, 1995 at the conclusion of a rally in Tel Aviv. Amir is currently serving a life sentence for murder plus six years for injuring Rabin's bodyguard, Yoram Rubin, under...
, the murderer of Yitzhak Rabin
Yitzhak Rabin
' was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77 and 1992 until his assassination in 1995....
, and made sure that the trial should be a regular criminal trial, which was at the same time both praised and criticized.
He was appointed to the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of Israel
The Supreme Court is at the head of the court system and highest judicial instance in Israel. The Supreme Court sits in Jerusalem.The area of its jurisdiction is all of Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories. A ruling of the Supreme Court is binding upon every court, other than the Supreme...
in August 2001 along with Ayala Procaccia
Ayala Procaccia
Ayala Procaccia is a Justice of the Supreme Court of Israel, since 2001. Before being elected to the Supreme Court, she served as a judge in the Jerusalem Magistrates’ Court until 1993 and in the Jerusalem District Court from 1993 to 2001.-Biography:...
. The kippah
Kippah
A kippah or kipa , also known as a yarmulke , kapele , is a hemispherical or platter-shaped head cover, usually made of cloth, often worn by Orthodox Jewish men to fulfill the customary requirement that their head be covered at all times, and sometimes worn by both men and, less frequently, women...
wearing Levy was perceived as representing the Religious Zionists
Religious Zionism
Religious Zionism is an ideology that combines Zionism and Jewish religious faith...
, an antithesis to the anti religious views represented by Procaccia. In practice, the approach of the two judges is actually very similar, but Levy is considered more of an activist judge
Judicial activism
Judicial activism describes judicial ruling suspected of being based on personal or political considerations rather than on existing law. It is sometimes used as an antonym of judicial restraint. The definition of judicial activism, and which specific decisions are activist, is a controversial...
then Procaccia.
On March 24, Levy was elected by the Supreme Court justices to serve on the Judicial Selection Committee
Judicial Selection Committee (Israel)
The Israeli Judicial Committee is the body that nominates Judges for Israeli courts. After their selection the judges are appointed by the President.The committee was established in 1953, following the enactment of the Judges Bill...
in place of the court's Vice-President Eliezer Rivlin
Eliezer Rivlin
Eliezer Rivlin is an Israeli judge. Eliezer Rivlin is the deputy-president of the Supreme Court of Israel and was chairman of the Central Elections Committee for the 2009 Legislative elections....
.
Legal views and rulings
The main expertise of Levy is criminal justice. Among other things, Levy wrote the ruling in Ze'ev Rosenstein's extradition to the United States, wherein he recognized the legality of extraditing an Israeli citizen that his committed offenses were connected to the territory of a foreign country.Levy is considered to be an activist judge
Judicial activism
Judicial activism describes judicial ruling suspected of being based on personal or political considerations rather than on existing law. It is sometimes used as an antonym of judicial restraint. The definition of judicial activism, and which specific decisions are activist, is a controversial...
, and was always ready when he felt it necessary to intervene in administrative and governmental decisions (including Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
laws), even in cases where the court usually does not get involved. This led him to write many court opinions as the single dissenting judge. For example, Levy was the only judge that ruled, in the minority, that the law reducing the social security benefits is illegal.
External links
- Edmund Levy at the official site for the Supreme Court of Israel