Unprecedentedly, the judiciary in the form of the Cassation and Appeal Courts has decided to suspend work at all their courts in objection to the decree issued by President Mohamed Morsi on November 22, which they consider as clear violation of the judicial authority. A meeting between the President and the Supreme Judiciary Council failed to defuse the crisis even though the presidency affirmed the President's respect for the Judiciary and only intended to protect state institutions to speed with the political process for having a constitution and an elected parliament. However, the senior judges and all those belonging to the judiciary authority expressed full opposition to the decree that they see as transgressing the State's legal principles and showing the seeds for dictatorial rule. In the meantime, the Constitutional Court (CC) organised a press conference to respond to the accusations being directed at it as a court being politically run, to confirm that it would continue its work no matter what accusations are directed at. In other words, the CC intends to issue rulings in the two cases concerning the Constituent Assembly (CA) and the Shura Council (Upper House of Parliament) on December 2. The President's decree is design to cancel these rulings. An unconstitutional ruling for the CA or the Shura Council would entail suspension of work on writing the constitution. In response, the Deputy Chairman of the MB's Freedom and Justice Party Essam el-Erian announced the start of voting on the constitution at the CA to have a public referendum on it within 15 days. This rush to issue the constitution, despite most civil powers withdrawing as well as three Egyptian churches, puts the people in the position of choosing between a constitution of the Islamists' making, which would change the image of Egypt, and the presidential decree with all its controversial articles. In this thick fog, some initiatives are being made by some politicians and activists here and there with the hope of defusing the crisis before reaching a dead end, where violence would take place at the cost of reason.
