Uzi Fogelman (; born 6 October 1954) is a former justice of the

Supreme Court of Israel The Supreme Court of Israel (, Hebrew acronym Bagatz; ) is the Supreme court, highest court in Israel. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all other courts, and in some cases original jurisdiction. The Supreme Court consists of 15 jud ...

and served as the acting president of the Supreme Court of Israel from 16 October 2023 to 1 October 2024, as well as Deputy President from 9 May 2022 to 1 October 2024. Vogelman had a deep impact on Israeli jurisprudence, and especially during his time on the Supreme Court as a liberal justice, issuing several rulings that advanced the rights of minority groups in Israel.

Life and career

Uzi Fogelman was born in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

, Israel, in 1954. In 1972 he graduated from Ironi Alef High School in Tel Aviv, majoring in mathematics and physics. From 1972 to 1975 he served in the Israeli Defense Forces in the

Nahal Nahal () (acronym of ''Noar Halutzi Lohem'', lit. Fighting Pioneer Youth) is a program that combines military service with mostly social welfare and informal education projects such as youth movement activities, as well as training in entrepr ...

combat brigade. Fogelman completed his LL.B. degree at the Faculty of Law at

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a Public university, public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Located in northwest Tel Aviv, the university is the center of teaching and ...

and was admitted to the

Israel Bar Association Israel Bar Association (; IBA) is the bar association for all Israeli lawyers. History The Israel Bar Association was established by The Bar Association Law, 1961. The law went into effect in March 1962. The Association is organized as a cor ...

in 1980. Fogelman earned an LL.M. degree at the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public university, public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. ...

in 1985, and a

Master of Public Administration A Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a specialized professional graduate degree in public administration that prepares students for leadership roles, similar or equivalent to a Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the ...

from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in the USA in 1990. Fogelman served as an attorney in the State Attorney's Office from 1982 to 1995, first in the Criminal Division and the High Court of Justice Division, then as Deputy and Senior Deputy to the State Attorney. From 1995 to 2000, Fogelman served as Head of the High Court of Justice Division of the State Attorney's Office and Director of the Department of Constitutional and Administrative Law. In 2000, Fogelman was appointed Judge on the Tel Aviv District Court. In 2007, Fogelman was appointed Acting Justice of the

, and in 2009 he was permanently appointed as a Justice of the Supreme Court. He became a permanent judge on the Supreme Court in 2009. On 9 May 2022, he was appointed by Israeli president Herzog as the Deputy President of the Supreme Court. Fogelman was expected to become President of the Supreme Court in 2023 following Esther Hayut's retirement until his own retirement a year later, but due to the short term he would serve, he indicated he would decline the position. Nevertheless, since the Judicial Selection Committee did not choose a President of the Supreme Court, Fogelman became acting President on 16 October 2023. He retired on 1 October 2024, reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70, and expressing his support to Yitzhak Amit to become the next President of the Supreme Court of Israel in-line with the seniority system.

Notable Rulings

* In 2009, the court granted a petition regarding an IDF order barring Palestinians from driving on Road 443 .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fogelman, Uzi Living people 1954 births Tel Aviv University alumni Judges of the Supreme Court of Israel Lawyers from Tel Aviv Israeli Jews Harvard Kennedy School alumni