Latest news with #judicial reform
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
House committee alleges Biden admin used funds to back anti-government protests in Israel
The Biden-Harris administration is accused of misusing taxpayer dollars to fund protests in Israel against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prior to Oct. 7. The House Judiciary Committee recently released a memo outlining the allegations and showing a possible money trail. "The Committee's oversight has revealed that the Biden-Harris Administration provided grant funds to groups that contributed directly and indirectly to the judicial reform protests that sought to undermine the Israeli government," the committee wrote in the memo. Netanyahu Explains How His Partnership With Trump Is 'Different' Than Past Presidents Netanyahu shared one of the charts from the memo on his X account and decried the "massive foreign intervention in an attempt to replace the right-wing government in Israel." "An official document published by the U.S. Congress reveals astonishing information that confirms what many have long suspected: the previous U.S. administration transferred nearly a billion dollars to left-wing NGOs in Israel, with the aim of undermining the rule of the government," Netanyahu wrote in Hebrew. Read On The Fox News App App Users Click Here To Read The Memo In March, the House Judiciary Committee and the Committee on Foreign Affairs sent letters to six American and Israeli NGOs asking for "documents related to any grants, cooperative agreements, or other awards received from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) or State Department." According to the Judiciary Committee's memo, the organizations have produced a total of 380 documents so far. The six NGOs were Blue White Future (BWF), Movement for Quality Government in Israel (MQG), PEF Israel Endowment Funds, Jewish Communal Fund (JCF), Middle East Peace Dialogue Network (MEPDN) and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. Officials In Biden Admin Worked To Undermine Netanyahu After Ceasefire Talks Collapsed, Former Aide Says Before Hamas' attacks on Oct. 7, Israel was embroiled in an internal battle over judicial reform measures. This sparked a heated debate and widespread protests throughout the country. The House Judiciary Committee noted that then-President Joe Biden condemned the reform measures and appeared to express support for the protests. "Like many strong supporters of Israel, I'm very concerned. I'm concerned that they get this straight. They cannot continue down this road. I've sort of made that clear," Biden told reporters in March 2023, according to CNN. Part of the quote also appears in the memo. The committee claims BWF received funds from NGOs, including some U.S. grant recipients, and funded the coalition headquarters for the protests. Additionally, the committee alleges the Biden-Harris administration gave $42,000 to MQG to conduct activism training in Israeli high schools. Israeli Minister Pushes Back Against Us, International Criticism Over Judicial Overhaul PEF Israel Endowment Funds is accused in the memo of providing over $884M to groups involved in anti-democracy protests. Similarly, the committee said the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors "likely provided portions of its $20 million in federal grants" to groups funding the protests. Additionally, the committee questions whether MEPDN violated its 501(c)(3) status "by funding anti-democracy protest." When it comes to JCF, the committee claims the organization gave over $42.8M to the protest headquarters and the two main funders of the protests. The committee noted in the memo that the investigation is ongoing and that more American and Israeli NGOs will be added. Fox News Digital reached out to the six NGOs mentioned in the memo and did not receive responses in time for article source: House committee alleges Biden admin used funds to back anti-government protests in Israel
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Malaysia to seek lawyers' views as anger over judge selection process mounts
Malaysia 's government on Tuesday invited the Bar Council to take part in a review of the country's judicial appointment process, in a bid to quell public discontent over alleged executive interference that has thrown the judiciary into crisis. The move comes just a day after nearly 1,000 lawyers marched to the Prime Minister's Office demanding urgent reforms and greater transparency in the selection of judges amid a shortage at the top of the courts and warnings of further institutional erosion. The controversy stems from the retirement last week of Malaysia's two most senior judges – Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat and Court of Appeal President Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim – and the government's delay in naming successors. As nine more Federal Court judges are expected to step down by the end of the year, the judiciary could be stretched further with 31 vacancies across the country's courts, according to observers. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has come under pressure for allegedly delaying the appointment of judicial replacements and for reportedly backing a politically aligned and inexperienced candidate as chief justice, claims he has denied. On Tuesday, Law Minister Azalina Othman Said said the government was already conducting a comparative study on the current appointment system with the parliamentary select committee and would now include the Bar Council in the process. 'The government is always open to the views of all parties, including the Malaysian Bar, which will also be invited to participate in this study, to ensure a judicial appointment system that is more transparent, has integrity, and earns the people's trust,' she said.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judicial reform in focus as Azalina leads comparative study with UK, Australia, India and Singapore
KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 — Malaysia will now be looking at the way judges are appointed in four countries including the UK and Singapore, as part of efforts to consider how the country's judicial appointments system can be reformed. The Prime Minister's Department's Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU) announced this following a preliminary discussion today between Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said with the heads of two parliamentary special select committees. 'Among other things, this discussion agreed to carry out preliminary comparative research about the approaches of the judicial appointment systems in several selected countries, namely the United Kingdom, India, Australia and Singapore. 'This preliminary comparative research will give a holistic understanding about the process of judicial appointments in countries with similar systems in order to enable Malaysia to make an evidence-based evaluation of the need for reforms and to adapt best practices according to national context. 'This research is also intended to evaluate an effective model for judicial appointments, identify best practices and recommend reforms that are appropriate for Malaysia's context as a constitutional monarchy and in line with the Federal Constitution,' BHEUU said in the statement. The statement said the Malaysian government through the BHEUU welcomes public feedback and the public's views about this matter. 'This inclusive approach is important to ensure each perspective is taken into account before the research outcome is tabled for the Cabinet's consideration. 'The government remains committed to strengthen public confidence by carrying out transparent and evidence-based reforms,' it concluded. Earlier in the statement, the BHEUU said Azalina's meeting was with the Dewan Negara's Special Select Committee on Law Review's chairman Rita Sarimah Patrick Insol and with the Dewan Rakyat's Special Select Committee on Human Rights, Election and Institutional Reform's chairman MP William Leong Jee Keen. The BHEUU said the meeting was held in relation to public concern about reforms in Malaysia's judicial system to ensure the integrity of the judiciary in upholding the rule of law. BHEUU said both parliamentary committees' chairman had expressed concerns over the latest developments on the issue of judicial appointments and stressed the importance of more in-depth studies to ensure a more transparent and credible process of appointing judges. Currently, in Malaysia, the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) vets and selects candidates to be recommended to the prime minister. The prime minister can accept the recommendations or ask for alternative names from the JAC, and the Yang di-Pertuan Agong would appoint judges on the prime minister's advice and after consulting with the Conference of Rulers. The Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law had in 2015 published a study on the best practices for appointing judges in the Commonwealth, with the report looking at 53 Commonwealth members including Malaysia. There are currently 56 countries in the Commonwealth, including India, Australia and Singapore. Recommended reading:JAC 101: The selection of Malaysia's judges, explained
Malay Mail
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Judicial reform in focus as Azalina leads comparative study with UK, Australia, India and Singapore
KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 — Malaysia will now be looking at the way judges are appointed in four countries including the UK and Singapore, as part of efforts to consider how the country's judicial appointments system can be reformed. The Prime Minister's Department's Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU) announced this following a preliminary discussion today between Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said with the heads of two parliamentary special select committees. 'Among other things, this discussion agreed to carry out preliminary comparative research about the approaches of the judicial appointment systems in several selected countries, namely the United Kingdom, India, Australia and Singapore. 'This preliminary comparative research will give a holistic understanding about the process of judicial appointments in countries with similar systems in order to enable Malaysia to make an evidence-based evaluation of the need for reforms and to adapt best practices according to national context. 'This research is also intended to evaluate an effective model for judicial appointments, identify best practices and recommend reforms that are appropriate for Malaysia's context as a constitutional monarchy and in line with the Federal Constitution,' BHEUU said in the statement. The statement said the Malaysian government through the BHEUU welcomes public feedback and the public's views about this matter. 'This inclusive approach is important to ensure each perspective is taken into account before the research outcome is tabled for the Cabinet's consideration. 'The government remains committed to strengthen public confidence by carrying out transparent and evidence-based reforms,' it concluded. Earlier in the statement, the BHEUU said Azalina's meeting was with the Dewan Negara's Special Select Committee on Law Review's chairman Rita Sarimah Patrick Insol and with the Dewan Rakyat's Special Select Committee on Human Rights, Election and Institutional Reform's chairman MP William Leong Jee Keen. The BHEUU said the meeting was held in relation to public concern about reforms in Malaysia's judicial system to ensure the integrity of the judiciary in upholding the rule of law. BHEUU said both parliamentary committees' chairman had expressed concerns over the latest developments on the issue of judicial appointments and stressed the importance of more in-depth studies to ensure a more transparent and credible process of appointing judges. Currently, in Malaysia, the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) vets and selects candidates to be recommended to the prime minister. The prime minister can accept the recommendations or ask for alternative names from the JAC, and the Yang di-Pertuan Agong would appoint judges on the prime minister's advice and after consulting with the Conference of Rulers. The Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law had in 2015 published a study on the best practices for appointing judges in the Commonwealth, with the report looking at 53 Commonwealth members including Malaysia. There are currently 56 countries in the Commonwealth, including India, Australia and Singapore. Recommended reading: JAC 101: The selection of Malaysia's judges, explained
