Polish President Forces Entry to Constitutional Tribunal Amid Judicial Crisis

Polish President Karol Nawrocki cut short an official visit to Senegal and returned to Warsaw early Saturday, forcing his way into the Constitutional Tribunal building shortly after midnight in a dramatic escalation of a months-long judicial standoff. Accompanied by First President of the Supreme Court Zbigniew Kapinski, Nawrocki pushed through the tribunal's entrance in a heated confrontation with judges, including Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, who had been newly designated as the court's acting president. Video footage showed physical contact at the entrance, with presidential aide Rafał Leśkiewicz claiming judges obstructed and manhandled Nawrocki, while judge Maciej Berek accused the president of physically confronting Korwin-Piotrowska.

The crisis centres on a fundamental dispute over judicial legitimacy spanning several months. Poland's parliament, controlled by Prime Minister Donald Tusk's ruling coalition, elected eight judges to the tribunal in 2026. However, Nawrocki, aligned with the opposition Law and Justice party, has accepted oaths of office for only three judges. The remaining five were sworn in at parliamentary ceremonies, but Nawrocki and the tribunal's former leadership refused to recognize their legitimacy, blocking them from assuming duties. On Friday evening, the tribunal's website announced the suspension of tribunal president Bogdan Święczkowski and vice president Bartłomiej Sochański for one month, with Korwin-Piotrowska assuming temporary leadership—a move the tribunal's previous leadership characterized as an illegal "coup" and website takeover.

Hundreds of protesters clashed with police outside the tribunal on Friday, with three detained and several injured. The National Bureau of Investigation suspended Święczkowski from his position. Nawrocki declared the events a "violation of constitutional order" and accused those involved of "forcibly occupying" the court. He called for urgent consultations with parliamentary groups to stabilize the political situation and demanded government-deployed enforcement forces leave the premises. Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek expressed alarm at Nawrocki's conduct, stating footage showed him "forcing his way in and attacking judges."

International observers expressed concern about the confrontation's trajectory. U.S. Ambassador to Poland Tom Rose cautioned that both sides were offering sharply different accounts and warned that escalating confrontation posed a serious risk to Poland's stability. Polish ambassadors to China and Romania resigned over the tribunal dispute, with ambassador Pawel Soloch citing the "unlawful takeover" attempt as making continued service untenable.