Chaos at Poland’s constitutional court as government-backed judges seek to oust chief justice
Police were deployed around the tribunal after a judge said she had suspended its chief, a move opponents contest.
TL;DR
- A dispute over the leadership of Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal brought police and protesters to the court.
- Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska said she had suspended chief justice Bogdan Święczkowski, whose supporters challenged the action.
- President Karol Nawrocki said he turned his flight back because of the situation.
Police were deployed around Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal on 2026-10-30 as protesters gathered outside, according to Notes from Poland and AP. The confrontation followed a published announcement that chief justice Bogdan Święczkowski had been suspended. [1] [2]
Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska told a Polish broadcaster that she had ordered the suspension, Notes from Poland reported. Święczkowski and opposition supporters disputed the move and described it as unlawful. [1]
The court has been at the center of a long-running dispute between the government and the opposition over judicial appointments and authority. AP reported that critics in Poland and the European Union accused the former Law and Justice government of placing key courts under political control. [1] [2]
President Karol Nawrocki said he was turning back from a flight to Senegal because of the confrontation, AP reported. The reports describe competing claims over control and do not establish a settled legal resolution. [1] [2]
Why it matters
Control of the tribunal affects a court that reviews constitutional questions and sits at the center of Poland’s dispute over judicial independence. The immediate legal basis and outcome remain contested.
Editor's note
The reports establish the deployment, the announced suspension and opposing claims. The legality of the suspension is disputed and is not resolved here.