Research

“Basic Law: The Judiciary 2050” - Research Group

Organizers: Dr. Ori Aronson, Bar Ilan University and Prof. Issachar Rosen-Zvi

This research group, a collaboration between the Menomadin Center for Jewish and Democratic Law at Bar Ilan University and the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics at TAU, focuses on the future of Israel’s judicial system, examining its fundamental values, institutional structure, and legal mechanisms.

The intense public disputes in Israel regarding the powers of the judiciary, reflect two key factors. First, the fact that a structured, informed, and inclusive constitutional process for shaping the Israeli legal system as a whole has never taken place. Second, the realization that the feasibility of conducting such a process today—without a "veil of ignorance" and in an era of deep polarization—is highly unlikely.

The research group aims to overcome these challenges by stimulating institutional imagination about the Israeli judicial system, focusing on its potential long-term design. This perspective deliberately distances itself from current political controversies while considering existing and anticipated developments in knowledge, culture, and technology that could influence judicial processes in a state that defines itself as both Jewish and democratic.

The initiative involves a series of meetings and discussions between April and July 2025. Scholars are invited to contribute articles addressing comparative legal perspectives, empirical studies, or theoretical analyses related to judicial reforms. Selected papers will be published as part of an academic collection.