GOVERNMENT

Esther Hayut

President of Israel’s Supreme Court

Appointed as President of Israel’s Supreme Court in 2017, chief justice Esther Hayut is increasingly regarded as one of the most influential incumbents in the post. The challenges that Hayut has dealt with include the legal issues arising from the coronavirus pandemic, in her case ruling at the height of the pandemic that Israel’s domestic security service had a temporary right to keep infected persons under surveillance. This year has also seen Hayut and her colleagues on the court endorse the Jewish Nation State Law (to the dismay of some on the left), as well as bolstering the rights of women during divorce (to the dismay of some on the right.) Born in Israel in 1953, Hayut’s career at the Supreme Court began with her appointment as a justice in 2004. (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)