Yaron Nili: Israel’s Supreme Court: Protecting Civil and Human Rights Under a “Soft Constitution

Israel's Supreme Court plays a pivotal role in the defense of civil and human rights in Israel under the country’s “soft constitution.” Against the backdrop of a multicultural society, occupied territories, security concerns and the lack of a formal constitution, the Supreme Court has emerged as the main branch of government providing legal protection on a wide array of issues. The Court’s most important rulings have dealt with human rights, torture, national security, state and religion, and gay rights, and are widely respected as progressive and innovative.

Yaron Nili was a law clerk in the Israeli Supreme Court in 2006-07. He is now a doctoral student at Harvard Law School and a teaching fellow in the Economics Department at Harvard. Yaron graduated from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem with a LL.B. summa cum laude and a M.B.A. magna cum laude. He served as Editor-in-Chief of the Hebrew University Law Review.