“Rogue Justice is a formidable tome… it’s a sterling debut that will serve as a lodestar for anyone attempting to understand Israel’s judicial predicament.”
“Green is one of just a few people on earth capable of writing this book… He boasts an uncommon combination: expertise on the Israeli judiciary and the know-how to write for foreign audiences.”
“So overwhelming is the evidence in this book that even the most steadfast defenders of Israel’s judiciary will struggle to refute it. Green persuasively describes the long train of abuses and usurpations committed by the judiciary.”
“Green deserves to be commended for presenting his case in an accessible way. Readers who never attended law school need not shy away from Rogue Justice… Even readers familiar with Israeli society will learn much.”
“Rogue Justice passes its main test with flying colors. Green does such a good job of arguing that the Israeli judiciary is lawless that it’s hard to conceive of another book that makes the reverse case. Isn’t this the highest praise a lawyer can receive?”
“A criticism amply backed up by painstaking research and comprehensive legal and historical analysis…”
“Every single page contains a scandal…”
“Readers who have studied judicial structure or constitutional theory could be forgiven for gasping audibly throughout.”
“Yonatan Green must become a household name, and Rogue Justice must sit on every shelf from Kiryat Shemona to Eilat. Readers around the world will learn from Green’s work what being ruled by men, rather than law, looks like.”
A “masterful work on the history of the Israeli supreme court.”
Daniel Gordis – “Israel from the Inside”
“A stellar book…”
“Very, very compelling…”
“A great read.”
“The most comprehensive discussion of the issues at the core of judicial reform available in English.”
“The first book-length major attempt to make all of this accessible to the non-technical, non-lawyer reader outside of Israel… You don’t have to be a lawyer or a scholar to understand the book.”
“This is a fabulous way of getting into the real meat of the question, regardless of where you think you stand on the issues.”
Teller describes the book as “easily comprehensible” and as a “detailed, rigorous, meticulous, and insightful work.”
“Rogue Justice is required reading for as broad a public as possible and will surely have a profound effect on the nation’s perception of the issue.”
“Rogue Justice is the book Americans needed when they watched as Israelis took to the streets in 2023…”
The Federalist 2025 Selections
“You need not follow Israeli politics obsessively to profit from this book; it’s an indispensable case study in what happens when courts forget their constitutional role.”
“If you’re not sure that you’re interested in learning about Israel’s legal system, I will emphasize that Green’s treatment of matters ranging from judicial appointments to justiciability to criminal justice to statutory interpretation will deepen your understanding of our system.”
Quoted and praised in “It’s noon in Israel” daily newsletter as “excellent” and “incredible”.
Praise
“Yonatan Green has put together a towering achievement in his relentless, astute, and readable dissection of Israel’s Supreme Court, and its impact on Israel’s politics and culture. Largely the brainchild of Justice Aharon Barak, that Court uniquely asserts undue control over all Israeli affairs, domestic and foreign. In gripping detail, Green first traces the origins of this astounding transformation. He then explains why it poses a threat to Israel’s future; and, sadly why it has become so difficult to dislodge. A masterpiece.”
Richard A. Epstein is the Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Law at NYU School of Law, where he serves as a Director of the Classical Liberal Institute. He has served as the Peter and Kirstin Bedford Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution since 2000. Epstein is also the James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor of Law Emeritus and a senior lecturer at the University of Chicago.
“Yonatan Green’s engrossing exposé of the Israeli judicial system is of obvious importance to Israelis. But it is also of enormous importance to Americans. It’s a case study in the pathologies of judicial supremacy in a liberal legal order that sincerely believes in human rights, but is lacking a written constitution to keep its judges in their lane. The practical result is a true juristocracy in the guise of being a parliamentary democracy. This book is simply a must read for Americans who take for granted the blessings of their own Constitution.”
Randy E. Barnett is the Patrick Hotung Professor of Constitutional Law, at Georgetown University, where he directs the Georgetown Center for the Constitution. His books include Our Republican Constitution: Securing the Liberty and Sovereignty of We the People.
“Rogue Justice by Yonatan Green presents a compelling and incisive analysis of Israel’s distinctive legal system and the profound transformations it has undergone over the years. With intellectual breadth and analytical depth, Green skillfully integrates comparative legal perspectives and illuminates the mechanisms through which Israel’s judiciary consolidated its power. These include a distinctive method of interpretation, the disregard of statutory provisions, the strategic composition of judicial panels in pivotal cases, and even the instrumental use of criminal law to further the objectives of the legal elite.
Rogue Justice is an essential contribution to the study of Israeli law and understanding its politics. It offers not only a rich account of the legal system’s evolution, but also a sobering reflection on the political and institutional consequences of unrestrained judicial activism. Green’s work is indispensable for anyone seeking to understand the current tensions between Israel’s judiciary, the A-G and its other branches of government.”
Daniel Friedmann is a former Professor (Emeritus) of Law and Dean at the Tel Aviv University Law School, and served as Israel’s Minister of Justice.
“Anyone who would understand the disputes over judicial power and selection that continue to divide Israeli society should read “Rogue Justice” – Yonatan Green’s painstaking treatment of both subjects. He shows how it came to be that Israel’s Supreme Court recognizes only its own view of what is “reasonable” as the standard for weighing challenges to action by the country’s democratically chosen legislature and prime minister, and controls as well the selection of that court’s own members. This is a vital and timely book.”
Michael B. Mukasey is a former U.S. Attorney General and a former U.S. District Judge.
“Israel’s Supreme Court, as Yonatan Green shows, has set itself up as a national conscience, not only vetoing enacted statutes, but also military policies, Cabinet appointments, even constitutional amendments, in rulings with only the most fleeting or tangential connection to formally established law. Green shows in detail how this has happened and how far the Israeli pattern strays from judicial authority in any other Western-style democracy. This careful, well documented study provides eye-opening background on debates about judicial reform in Israel.”
Jeremy Rabkin is a Professor Emeritus of Law at the Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University.