Raisi's Deputy: Administrative Justice Court Lacks Authority to Nullify Appointment of Head of Administrative and Employment Organization

After the "Administrative Justice Court" of the Iranian government deemed the appointment of one of Ebrahim Raisi's deputies unlawful and declared it "void," another deputy of the President of the Islamic Republic stated that this judicial authority "lacks the competence to oversee such rulings and appointments." Mohammad Dehghan, the legal deputy of Ebrahim Raisi, reacted to this action by the judicial body under the Iranian judiciary, stating to the state news agency "IRNA" that the "authority of the President" to appoint deputies is "in accordance with constitutional principles" and is not subject to judicial oversight or the competence of the Administrative Justice Court. He also mentioned writing and sending a letter to the head of the judiciary and the head of the Administrative Justice Court of the Islamic Republic to implement "Article 91" of the law on the organization and procedure of this court, which pertains to "suspending the execution of the ruling" and "reviewing" the issued verdict. Iranian media reported on July 9 that the Administrative Justice Court announced the ruling of its general assembly to "nullify the appointment" of Meysam Latifi, the head of the Administrative and Employment Organization of the Islamic Republic. This ruling was issued following the examination of a complaint in this regard. According to this ruling, the appointment of Meysam Latifi as the "head of the Administrative and Employment Organization of the country" by Ebrahim Raisi was deemed illegal due to his membership in the "Imam Sadiq University" as a "non-governmental and non-profit" entity. However, the legal deputy of Ebrahim Raisi stated that the "ruling of the President" is neither a regulation nor a directive that the general assembly of the Administrative Justice Court can annul, adding that the President of the Islamic Republic can choose "any individual" as his deputy, whether from within or outside the government, based on the "multiple authorities" granted to him by the constitution. Meysam Latifi, the head of the Administrative and Employment Organization of Ebrahim Raisi's government, like many other members of his cabinet, is a graduate of the "Imam Sadiq University," an educational institution whose management is determined by Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, and which provides ideological training in addition to regular courses for students. A user related to this issue tweeted an image of a student gathering and individuals associated with the "Imam Sadiq University" known as the "Iftar of 1392 Student Basij of Imam Sadiq University," stating that "many of the individuals present in this image have attained important positions in recent years." On the other hand, Mohammad Dehghan, the legal deputy of Ebrahim Raisi, stated that "even if" we accept the Administrative Justice Court's argument regarding the "legal prohibition of the mission" of Meysam Latifi "from the university to the government," the court can only express an opinion regarding this mission and "according to the law, the annulment of the President's ruling does not fall under the competencies of the court." Matin Ramadan-Khah, a social sciences researcher, also reacted to this ruling of the court, stating that the annulment of the ruling of the head of the Administrative and Employment Organization, which is responsible for "legislation" in the field of human capital and overseeing adherence to the principle of "meritocracy" in appointments, carries a message: "rent-seeking, lack of competence, lack of commitment, and lack of expertise" are so deeply embedded in the fabric of Raisi's government that they have "destroyed the roots of the house from the root." The Administrative Justice Court rejected a complaint regarding the minimum wage for workers; report by Roozbeh Boulaheri. The publication of the ruling of the Administrative Justice Court in favor of the government, rejecting workers' complaints against the wage decree. The Administrative Justice Court of the Islamic Republic opposed the increase in workers' wages. Complaints against the government for reducing the wages of some employees.