In response to Rafsanjani, Sadegh Larijani, head of the judiciary, stated unequivocally the assembly has no such authority.
The final version of Article II, which defined the powers of the judiciary, stated that the President "shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint" members of the federal judiciary.
Stephen Gillers, a professor at the New York University law school who specializes in legal ethics, noted that the code of conduct for the federal judiciary states that "a judge should avoid public comment on the merits of a pending or impending action".
As the New York Times notes, he controls the country's military, judiciary, and state broadcasting services.
After serving nine years on the Senate judiciary committee, State Senator Robert Martin found himself this week unceremoniously bounced off the panel.
The Judicial Conference of the United States, the policy-making arm of the federal judiciary, said state courts were the "appropriate forum" for such lawsuits.
His vast authority includes the right to name the heads of the elite Republican Guards, the armed forces, the judiciary and state television.
The military, together with the judiciary and state bureaucracy, wielded immense power, guarding Turkish democracy "as if the country was a perpetually immature child," said Halil Berktay, a history professor at Sabanci University in Istanbul.
What is more, the judiciary and state bar have welcomed social scientific research on how these changes affect the jury system, providing the country with a living laboratory for jury reform.
Hard-liners, who have long lost popular support but control security forces, the judiciary and state television, were set to declare victory, since they have always argued that the United States could never be trusted in any deal.
