Poland's Constitutional Court in Crisis as Judge Suspends President

Poland's Constitutional Court descended into institutional turmoil on October 30 when judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska suspended the court's president Bogdan Święczkowski and deputy Bartłomiej Sochański for one month, declaring herself acting leader. Korwin-Piotrowska cited obstruction of judicial proceedings and invoked risks to safety and public order. Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek simultaneously filed motions to strip Święczkowski and Sochański of immunity to enable criminal prosecution for blocking newly appointed judges from their duties.

The suspension escalated an ongoing constitutional dispute rooted in competing claims of judicial legitimacy. Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government contests the legitimacy of judges appointed under the previous Law and Justice (PiS) administration, citing rulings by the European Court of Human Rights and Court of Justice of the European Union that three judges were improperly elected. Tusk refuses to recognize court decisions and has withheld publication of its rulings. Conversely, Święczkowski and his faction do not recognize five judges elected by parliament since March, including Korwin-Piotrowska, arguing procedural flaws in their appointment. President Karol Nawrocki, backed by PiS, has refused to swear them in.

Riot police were deployed around the Constitutional Court building as protesters gathered outside. Święczkowski rejected the suspension as a "coup d'état," with the court's official social media account declaring participants were "committing the crime of a coup d'état." Opposition leader Jarosław Kaczyński characterized the action as an "assault on the Constitutional Tribunal" and accused Tusk's government of operating a "police state." Tusk defended the move as necessary for restoring rule of law after PiS-era judicial overhauls.

President Nawrocki diverted his aircraft en route to Senegal and returned to Warsaw, convening emergency meetings with Święczkowski and Supreme Court chief Zbigniew Kapinski. Legal scholar Marcin Matczak, a PiS-reform critic, stated the suspension lacked legal basis and warned the images of armed police at the court would damage Poland's rule-of-law standing for decades.

The crisis reflects a fundamental disagreement over which judges hold legitimate authority—one rooted in competing parliamentary selections and presidential recognition, with international courts having ruled on competing claims.