Constitution

Kazakhstan to hold referendum on new constitution critics say allows president to remain in power

Tokayev has called the referendum "a truly historic moment" that moves Kazakhstan away from a "super-presidential" system towards a greater separation of powers.

Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev speaks during the 80th United Nations General Assembly, in New York City, New York, US, September 23, 2025.
 JUSTICE MINISTER Yariv Levin attends a swearing-in ceremony for newly appointed judges, at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, in June.

Israel’s justice minister is undermining judicial independence and the rule of law - opinion

Declaration of Independence of the United States. New Canaan, 1950. Featuring George Washington.

Looking back at George Washington’s 1790 letter, the root of American religious freedom

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the general Conference of Fatah Youth in Ramallah, with a backdrop including a portrait of Abbas and Yasser Arafat, November 27, 2025; illustrative.

PA drafts constitution, omits Jewish ties to Jerusalem, calls for Sharia legal system


Israel can learn from US experience with democracy - opinion

The judicial reform crisis should be turned into a moment of renewed unity and rebirth of democracy.

 SUPREME COURT President Ester Hayut (front) sits in the VIP balcony in the Knesset plenum, watching a special session marking the 74th anniversary of the Israeli parliament’s founding, on Monday.

How to fix a divided Israel in 3 steps

I spoke with a number of experts, who offered several pragmatic swords to cut the tangled Gordian knot. What emerged is a three-step “coffee-shop” solution: small, medium and large.

 Israelis protest against the government’s proposed judicial reforms to reduce powers of the Supreme Court in Tel Aviv on January 21.

This is how to fix Israel's problems

With the Israeli people divided about judicial reforms, let's think about ways to tackle the most important issues the country is facing.

 LIKE OTHER parliamentary systems, Israel is essentially but not completely democratic, says the writer.

Why doesn't Israel have a constitution? The origins of the story

LEGAL AFFAIRS: Israel was supposed to have a constitution. It was in the United Nations resolution 181 and in the Declaration of Independence.

 ISRAEL’S FOUNDING fathers declare the establishment of the state with the Declaration of Independence.

Israel's judicial reforms weaken democracy - opinion

The time has arrived to devote some months to drafting and adopting a written constitution, which is the only democratic way for Israel to reform.

 PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu sits alongside sacked cabinet minister Arye Deri in the Knesset, on Monday. In Israel, the coalition controls the legislature and executive, thus the need to keep its hands off judicial appointments, says the writer.

Israel's legal reform: A counterrevolution to the constitutional revolution?

LEGAL AFFAIRS: Veteran observers of the legal system explore whether the reform is a counter-constitutional revolution – or an anti-constitutional revolution.

 MK Simcha Rothman and Justice Minister Yariv Levin present next steps for judicial reforms at Knesset legal committee.

Legal advisers are the first target of judicial reform, says Rothman

The schedule for the entire judicial reform roadmap will be announced at 10 a.m. on Wednesday morning.

 MK Simcha Rotman, Head of the Constitution Committee leads a committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem, on January 10, 2023.

Netanyahu gov't planned Override Clause will suppress individual rights - opinion

Whereas one might wish to criticize the process by which judges are selected in Israel, I would respectfully suggest that the system is fundamentally fair.

 THE HIGH Court of Justice has been a paper tiger in everything concerning the Netanyahu bloc’s interests, says the writer

With no constitution, an override clause is Israel's only hope - opinion

The override clause is a compromise between the British model of parliamentary supremacy and the constitutional model. It will strengthen, not harm, Israel's democracy.

High Court of Justice May 3, 2020

Moore v. Harper: Supreme Court hears case critical to federal election oversight

The case revolves around a specific legal theory which could leave state courts unable to enforce state constitutions on election matters.

Timothy Moore, Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, speaks to the media outside the United States Supreme Court following oral arguments in Moore v. Harper, a Republican-backed appeal to curb judicial oversight of elections, in Washington, US, December 7, 2022