Rejection of presidential inquiry

On 11 September 2026, the Head of the Chancellery of the Sejm Marek Siwiec sent an official response to President Karol Nawrocki regarding the election of Maciej Berek to the Constitutional Tribunal. The letter stated that Sejm Marshal Włodzimierz Czarzasty expects the head of state to administer the judicial oath without delay. Czarzasty rejected demands from the Presidential Palace to provide documents verifying Berek's formal qualifications, stating that the request lacks any legal foundation under Polish statutory or constitutional law. The dispute follows a letter sent earlier in the week by the Head of the Chancellery of the President Zbigniew Bogucki, who questioned whether Berek met the statutory requirements for the judicial post. Czarzasty argued during a morning broadcast on RMF FM that scrutinizing a sovereign parliamentary vote infringes upon the constitutional separation of powers.

“The president has no legal ability to contest the sovereign decision of the Sejm in this scope that has been made. This would constitute a violation of the separation of powers and disrupt the balance provided in the constitution.”

Dispute over legal experience

The conflict centres on whether Berek fulfills the statutory requirement of at least ten years of practice as a legal counsel. Berek, a former minister for government policy implementation supervision nominated by the Civic Coalition parliamentary group, was elected by the Sejm on 4 September 2026 to succeed Justyn Piskorski, defeating Law and Justice candidate Artur Kotowski. Bogucki claimed that significant doubts remain regarding Berek's employment contracts and practice records, asserting that the president cannot swear in a candidate who fails to prove basic eligibility. In response, Berek stated that he has accumulated 17 years of professional legal practice. Ahead of the parliamentary vote, Berek published a certificate from the Dean of the Council of the Regional Chamber of Legal Counsels confirming his admission in 2002 and recording active practice from 1 January 2006 to 31 July 2009, as well as from 1 August 2012 to the present.

Position of the Constitutional Tribunal

Constitutional Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski addressed the standoff during an interview on television network wPolsce24. Święczkowski stated that the decision to admit Berek to judicial duties depends entirely on whether the president formally accepts the oath of office. While noting his own reservations regarding Berek's background and citing past prosecutorial proceedings, Święczkowski confirmed that he would comply with legal procedure if the ceremony takes place.

“If the president accepts the oath from Mr. Berek in his presence, then I will be forced to accept him and establish his service relationship.”

The exchange coincided with a conference in Warsaw on 11 September 2026 observing the 40th anniversary of the Constitutional Tribunal's jurisprudence. During the event, Bogucki read a message from Nawrocki expressing gratitude to tribunal staff while warning against actions that subordinate the legal order to ongoing political competition.