order that the defendant be examined by a physician or other expert, and to order any other investigations deemed expedient to determining the sentence. At the closure of arguments in the penalty phase, the prosecution and subsequently the defense are entitled to make final arguments regarding the penalty of the defendant. The court may also revoke a conviction if it determines that there is reason to sentence the defendant to probation or community service without a conviction. Upon completion of the proceedings, the court will pass sentence in a public reading and issue a written order signed and dated by the judge or judges. Following a verdict, the defense has the right to appeal a conviction and a sentence it argues is unduly harsh, and the prosecution may appeal an acquittal and a sentence it argues is unduly lenient. Appeals must be filed within 45 days from the date of judgement, though the period may be extended by the court at the request of the appellant. Israeli law provides that any sentence of death will be automatically subject to appeal proceedings even if the defendant has not appealed against it. The court hearing the appeal may overturn a conviction or acquittal, convict the defendant of a different offense than the lower court had originally convicted him or her of after giving the defense a reasonable opportunity to rebut the decision, increase a sentence only if the prosecution appealed the leniency of the sentence, or dismiss the appeal. Israeli law also provides for the possibility to ask the Supreme Court for a new trial, though it is very rare to be granted a retrial. Between 1948 and 2012, only 21 criminal cases were granted a retrial, about half of which ended in reconfirmation of a defendant's guilt. Judicial selection Judges who serve on the Supreme Court, as well as the district and magistrate courts, are appointed by the Judicial Selection Committee, which consists of nine members: the Minister of Justice, another cabinet member, two Knesset members (in practice one is from the coalition and the other is from the opposition), two members of the Israel Bar Association, and the President of the Supreme Court and two other Supreme Court justices. The committee is chaired by the Minister of Justice. It can appoint judges to the magistrate and district courts by a majority vote, but appointing a Supreme Court judge requires a