Poland's constitutional court clash: judge suspends court president as Nawrocki cuts Senegal trip short

Roots of the dispute in 2015

Poland's current clash over the Constitutional Tribunal traces back to 2015, when the Law and Justice (PiS) party won the elections and took power. Shortly before the handover, the outgoing parliament had elected five judges to the tribunal. PiS disputed that process and appointed five judges of its own choosing. The tribunal later ruled that the previous parliamentary majority had the right to elect only three of the five, yet the new government kept its own appointments. That unresolved question of legitimacy has shaped the court's standing ever since.

Eight years of PiS reforms and the clash with Brussels

Between 2016 and 2023, PiS pushed sweeping changes through the justice system, covering the Constitutional Tribunal, the ordinary courts, the Supreme Court and the National Council of the Judiciary. The government presented the reforms as a necessary reorganisation. The European Commission and other European institutions argued that the changes weakened judicial independence and gave politicians influence over the courts. The dispute led to proceedings before European courts, sanctions and frozen EU funds, with reports citing billions of euros held back. PiS kept a combative stance toward Brussels throughout, framing its resistance as a defence of national sovereignty.

The suspension and the tribunal's response

Judge Anna Korbiel-Piotrowska ordered the suspension of tribunal president Bogdan Święczkowski and his deputy, Bartłomiej Sochański, for one month on the evening of 30 October. She announced that she would take over the court's administration herself. Święczkowski called the move a "coup", and Sochański was reportedly prevented from entering the building. The tribunal rejected the decision, stating on its website that Święczkowski remains president and Sochański remains vice-president. In a post on X, the court wrote that everyone taking part in these actions commits the crime of attempted coup. Reports also say that judges who had been barred from hearing cases pushed for the leadership's removal, and that the government had moved against two senior judges, including through criminal proceedings.

Political reaction and protests

Crowds gathered outside the tribunal building as tension rose, and some demonstrators reportedly climbed over the fence and threw objects at police. Nawrocki cut short a planned trip to Senegal and returned to Poland, going straight to the tribunal and accusing Tusk of staging a coup. Jarosław Kaczyński, the PiS leader, joined the demonstration and, according to reports, tried to force his way into the building. He accused Tusk of orchestrating a coup against the court and of turning Poland into a police state. Tusk responded that restoring the rule of law is the government's duty, describing it as a difficult and sometimes painful process after years of what he called lawlessness under PiS. Separately, Poland's ambassador to China, Jakub Kumoch, resigned after the developments.