Simcha Rothman

Simcha Dan Rothman (Hebrew: שִׂמְחָה דָּן רוֹטְמָן, born 13 August 1980) is an Israeli lawyer, right-wing activist, and politician. He is currently a member of the Knesset for the far-right Religious Zionist Party and the chair of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee.

Rothman was born into a family that had immigrated to Mandatory Palestine from Cleveland in the United States in the early 20th century. For his mandatory military service he studied at Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh via the Hesder but was later discharged from conscription for medical reasons. He volunteered for active service, and served for 13 monthsas a religious affairs NCO at the Military Engineering School. After earning an LLB at Bar-Ilan University he studied for a master's degree in public law at Tel Aviv University and Northwestern University.

He founded the Movement for Governability and Democracy in 2013. A critic of the corruption trial of Benjamin Netanyahu, he has campaigned for legislation to allow the government to override the Supreme Court and supports immunity from prosecution for serving prime ministers.

Prior to the 2021 Knesset elections Rothman was placed fourth on the list for the far-right Religious Zionist Party, and was elected to the Knesset as the party won six seats.

In 2023, following the formation of the thirty-seventh government of Israel, Rothman was appointed chairman of the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, where he led the efforts to overhaul Israel's judiciary that sparked the 2023 Israeli judicial reform protests.