U. of Haifa: Trust in judicial system at 17-year low

The level of trust in the judicial system is at a 17-year low, according to the annual index for public sector performance measured by the University of Haifa for 2018.

The public’s level of trust stands at 2.65 (in the 1-5 index, 1 – very low level of trust; 5 – very high level of trust) compared to the highest level of trust measured in 2016 at 3.25.

The data show that only 18% of the public expressed a high level of trust in the judicial system, compared with 33% who expressed a low level. This is the lowest level since the index was first published in 2001.

The Supreme Court, which has been in the public eye in recent years – is also at a low level of public trust – with a confidence level of 2.76, the lowest since they began measuring this level in 2008.

Overall, 26% of the public expressed a high level of trust in the Supreme Court, compared to 33.5% who expressed a low level.

The attorney general’s office saw a sharp decline in public trust as well with only 15% of the surveyed expressing high levels of trust and 35% expressing low levels.

According to the researchers, there is no doubt that the decline in the trust of the political and legal systems reflects the struggle between the two bodies.

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, who has been at the forefront of a struggle to limit the High Court’s power over the legal system, said at the Maariv Conference in Jerusalem last month that the Bayit Yehudi party would require the next government to give the Knesset a veto over the High Court as part of its coalition agreement

Shaked blamed center-left parties of the current coalition for blocking her initiatives to allow 61 Knesset MKs to override the High Court, when the court tries to strike a Knesset law as unconstitutional.