Dorit Beinisch

Dorit Beinisch is the first woman to serve as president of the Supreme Court of Israel. She was appointed to the position on September 7, 2006, upon the retirement of President Aharon Barak. She appears likely to continue to apply Barak's judicial-activist approach to the Court.

Dorit Beinisch was born in Tel Aviv in 1942.

Prior to joining the Israeli Supreme Court in 1995, Beinisch had an extensive career in public service. From 1989-1995, she served as state attorney and as deputy state attorney before that. As state attorney, she headed government litigation in the magistrate, district and appellate courts. She also served as official legal advisor to government departments and agencies.

While serving in the Israeli Defense Force, Beinisch reached the rank of lieutenant. She received her law and advanced law degrees from Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Beinisch began her professional career following admittance to the Israeli Bar in 1967. She served as assistant to the Jerusalem district attorney and, subsequently, as senior assistant to the state attorney. From 1976-82, she directed the Department of Constitutional and Administrative Law in the state attorney's office. She represented the state before the Supreme Court in constitutional and administrative cases.

From 1982 to 1988, she served as Assistant Attorney General and in 1989 she was appointed Attorney General. During this period she served as head of the General Prosecution department and was responsible for representing the State of Israel in the various law courts, as well as providing legal advice to the state authorities.

In December 1995, Dorit Beinisch was appointed to the Supreme Court.

In her various public service positions, she gave special attention to government corruption and to ensuring that government institutions adhere to the law, with a particular emphasis placed on the IDF, the police and general security services. Standing out among her opinions as a Supreme Court justice are a decision holding that parents cannot use corporal punishment as well as other decisions stressing the importance of women's and children's rights.

She is married and has two daughters.