Isaac Amit יצחק עמית
Centrist career jurist from Haifa who became Israel's 13th President of the Supreme Court in January 2025 after one of the most contested presidential transitions in Court history. Took office at a moment of intense public debate over the proper balance between the Court and the elected Knesset, and has pledged to lead the bench through that debate with restraint and respect for democratic institutions.
Background
Born in Israel to a family rooted in the country's early decades, Amit served in the IDF, practiced commercial law in Haifa, and built his judicial career on the Haifa District Court before his 2009 appointment to the Supreme Court under the Olmert government's justice minister. Widely regarded as a centrist with a pragmatic commercial-law background rather than an ideological one.
Notable record
- Authored numerous opinions in commercial, tort, and administrative law during his 15 years as an associate justice
- Sat on the historic 15-justice panel that, on 1 January 2024, ruled 8-7 to strike down the 2023 Reasonableness Amendment to Basic Law: The Judiciary, the first invalidation of a Basic Law in Israeli history
- Sat on the same panel's 12-3 majority affirming the Court's theoretical power to review Basic Laws that undermine Israel's core identity as a Jewish and democratic state
- Selected by the Judicial Selection Committee as President in January 2025 despite the Justice Minister's refusal to convene the committee, the meeting was eventually held under an interim chair after months of delay
Today
Leading the full 11-justice bench currently hearing the petition against the March 2025 amendment that restructured the Judicial Selection Committee. Oral arguments were held in June 2026, with judgment expected before the October 2026 Knesset election.
Why it matters
His tenure will define how the post-2024 Supreme Court positions itself relative to the elected branches in the next chapter of Israel's constitutional development, a quiet, institution-minded president taking the helm at a moment that demands exactly that.
Cite this page
Isaac Amit, President of the Supreme Court. The State of Israel. https://thestateofisrael.com/justice/isaac-amit