As Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch stepped down from her post on Tuesday, amid a moving ceremony in Jerusalem, politicians across the spectrum marked the end of a judicial era.

While those on the left and in the center were quick to laud Beinisch´s achievements during her six years as leader of the country´s most important legal institution, those on the right were equally speedy to criticize her and to praise her replacement, the more conservative Justice Asher Dan Grunis.

During her term as Supreme Court President, Beinisch has drawn fire from the Right because of her High Court of Justice rulings to overturn certain Knesset-passed laws - the most recent being the "Tal Law" - and to demolish illegal outpost buildings in the West Bank.

Labor Party chairwoman Shelly Yacimovich praised retiring Beinisch´s accomplishments on Tuesday morning, saying that her work had been "a rare combination of statism and protecting individual rights."

"The public is taking leave of an important leader, who was able to work, with determination and courage, in the face of pressure from government leaders," said Yacimovich.

The Labor Party chairwoman said that Beinisch had left a legacy of important legal rulings, including banning corporal punishment against children and overturning a law against the privatization of prisons.

"From the Labor Party, I wish the outgoing president health and long life, and that we will continue to work in the public sphere in order to transform Israeli society into one that is more just and responsible," she added.

Opposition leader Tzipi Livni spoke with Beinisch on Tuesday, and praised her for being the first woman in Israeli history to hold the role of Supreme Court President, an achievement Livni described as a "breakthrough".

"We worked together when I was Justice Minister, and we had our differences," Livni recalled, adding that Beinisch had faced a different sort of struggle in her role as Supreme Court President.

"It is the struggle over what sort of country we will leave to our children," the Kadima leader said. "The Supreme Court represents our country´s constitutional values against a group that desires to impose Halacha (Jewish religious law) on society, as a source of authority."

Livni told Beinisch that this battle "was not a simple one for the head of the judiciary".

"Yet you stood at the forefront of this struggle for our country´s democratic values, and for that you deserve great credit," she concluded.

Kadima MK Yohanan Plesner praised the Beinisch-led Supreme Court for "maintaining its independence in the light of the unprecedented attacks emanating from those who lack a democratic tradition."

Plesner added that Beinisch "was able to maintain appropriate balances in the relationship between the authorities, and to avoid excessive intervention in Knesset and government decisions."

However, the Kadima MK continued, citing the recent ruling to overturn the Tal Law, Beinisch had proved that she had the "power and the legitimacy" to make such decisions when required.

"I believe that those who will replace Beinisch will be wise enough to preserve and strengthen the position of this important institution in Israeli democracy, and not to fear the inevitable dark attacks and agitation that are likely to continue in the future," he added.

Politicians on the Right, particularly those who have been vocal in criticizing the Supreme Court, were less complimentary about Beinisch´s term in office.

Eretz Israel Shelanu chairman Baruch Mazel said before Tuesday´s farewell ceremony in the Supreme Court that he was "arriving with a bottle of wine in his hand to toast Beinisch´s retirement from her throne of judgement."

MK Yaakov Katz (National Union) slammed Beinisch as having "taken the law into her own hands".

Katz, who tabled the controversial ´Grunis Law´ passed earlier this year, which paved the way for the more conservative Justice Asher Dan Grunis to replace Beinisch, said the retiring Supreme Court President had displayed a "radical left ideology" of which her rulings were "merely a tool".

Using an archery metaphor, Katz said that Beinisch had "marked out a target with an arrow and drawn her judicial circle around it."

"After war enacted the Grunis Law, our next step will be to legislate that the High Court of Justice will not annul laws, and immediately after that we´re going to reinstate the laws they retroactively canceled," he said. (© 1995-2011, The Jerusalem Post 02/28/12)