Jerusalem District Court Justice Noam Solberg, whose nomination for Supreme Court justice was vetoed by the court’s chief justice, Dorit Beinish, is Justice Minister Prof. Yaakov Ne’eman’s candidate to become the next attorney general.

Solberg has served as assistant to a number of attorney generals, including Elyakim Rubinstein, Michael Ben-Yair and Yosef Harish, and as such, was involved in the decision-making process in a number of major high-profile cases, including the Deri Bar-On Chevron case and a number of laws enacted following the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin.

Championing freedom of speech, he has been viewed as a leading justice in both the magistrate’s and district courts, and remains a highly rated official in the judicial system.

While he enjoyed support from a number of right-wing members of the appointment committee, some feel Beinish rejected his candidacy due to the fact that he lives in Gush Etzion and that he is shomer shabbos.

The search committee will also present the minister with three additional names, possible candidates, but at present, Solberg appears to be the leading candidate for the position.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)