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A leading Israeli lawyer urged the Supreme Court Tuesday to strike down a controversial plank of the government's judicial reforms, saying it had already caused "severe damage" to Israeli democracy.An unprecedented 15-judge panel convened to hear petitions against legislation which challenges the powers of the top court itself, by curbing its ability to overturn government decisions.Detractors say the move paves the way for authoritarian rule, as part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's broader judicial overhaul.

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For almost nine months, Israelis have been fighting over the future of their Supreme Court. Today, that battle has moved into the Supreme Court itself.

The over 12-hour hearing is the culmination of a year of political and legal turmoil for Israel over the first judicial reform legislation to pass into law.

While appearing to defend their oversight authority, president and other judges don't seem certain that damage posed by reasonableness legislation can justify annulling a Basic Law