The move follows a complaint by lawmakers who argued that the voting process was unlawful.
Iraq’s highest court has temporarily suspended the enforcement of three contentious laws passed by parliament last month, including a measure that activists argue erodes women’s rights.
The Federal Supreme Court issued a ruling on Tuesday stopping the implementation of the bills pending a legal challenge over the parliamentary voting process.
A group of lawmakers contested the validity of the vote, arguing that the bills — each backed by different political factions — were inappropriately passed together instead of being debated and approved individually.
A copy of the court’s order obtained by the Associated Press confirms that the laws will remain on hold until a final verdict is reached.
One of the suspended measures is an amendment to Iraq’s personal status law, which grants Islamic courts greater authority over family matters such as marriage, divorce, and inheritance.
Women’s rights activists have warned that the changes threaten to dismantle previous legal reforms that introduced a unified family code and offered protections for women.
The advocates of the amendment, most of them conservative Shia lawmakers, argue that it aligns Iraq’s legal system with Islamic principles and curbs what they see as excessive Western influence.
Earlier drafts of the bill had raised alarm over the possibility of legalising child marriage, as some interpretations of Islamic law permit girls to marry in their early teens — or even as young as nine.
The final version passed by parliament states that both spouses must be “adults”, but does not define the legal age of adulthood.
The second contested law is a general amnesty bill that could lead to the release of Sunni detainees. Supporters claim it offers justice to those unjustly imprisoned, but critics fear it may allow individuals convicted of corruption, embezzlement, or even war crimes to walk free.
The third suspended measure seeks to return land confiscated from the Kurdish population during Saddam Hussein’s rule.
While Kurds support the law as a means of rectifying historical injustices, some Arab factions oppose it, arguing it could result in the displacement of Arab communities.
