Legal Discussion on role of Constitutional Courts

The Constitutional Law Unit at the Faculty of Law and Public Administration held a roundtable discussion on November 7 on the latest amendment to the laws of the Palestinian Constitutional Court as per the Law by Decree No. 19 of 2017.

The discussion, held with the support of the Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani Chair for Constitutional and International Law, was led by the Vice President for Community Affairs and instructor of the Constitutional Review course at Birzeit University, Dr. Asim Khalil.

Dr. Khalil noted that the discussion revolved around the recently-developed Palestinian situation and the effects of the amendments on the Constitutional Court’s role as an overseer of the constitutionality of laws and regulations.

The roundtable discussion examined recent amendments such as the limiting of judges’ terms from lifetime to 6 years; the increase of the number of judges to a minimum of nine; the change in the Court’s requirements to be less stringent for judges and professors of law, and more stringent for lawyers and members of the Public Prosecution; and the rescinding of Article 15, which is related to the removal, expulsion, and challenge of judges in the Court.

The Constitutional Law Unit published a position paper, based on the discussion held, that detailed its statement on the amendments, calling on the members of the Legislative Council to review them once its sessions are held.