Police deploy at Poland's Constitutional Tribunal as a judge suspends its president

Police at the tribunal

On the evening of 30 October 2026 police officers were on the grounds of the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw, and the confrontation was broadcast live on television. Warsaw police (KSP) said officers appeared there between 17:00 and 18:00 after a notification from Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, who pointed to possible threats to the life or health of the tribunal's judges and staff and a risk of public disorder. Around 18:00 a notice on the court's website said its president, Bogdan Święczkowski, and his deputy, Sochański, had been temporarily suspended from their duties. Korwin-Piotrowska, the most senior judge on the bench, took over as acting head of the court. Supporters of the Law and Justice party (PiS) and other right-wing groups protested outside the building. KSP reported that three people jumped the fence onto the grounds and were detained, while Polsat News reported that objects were thrown at officers during the protest. Several Romanian outlets reported that President Karol Nawrocki tried to enter the building that evening.

Consultations at the Presidential Palace

On 31 October Nawrocki convened political leaders for consultations on the dispute over the court. Defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, who also leads the Polish People's Party (PSL), arrived first and set out state security, respect for democracy, social peace and public order as the subjects he intended to raise with the president. Szymon Holownia, leader of Polska 2050, also met Nawrocki. The Left, a member of the governing coalition, declined the invitation, and Polish press reported that Civic Platform did not plan to take part. The outcome of the talks remained unclear in the reporting available. Korwin-Piotrowska told PAP she could meet President Karol Nawrocki at the Presidential Palace, and on TVN24 she added that he would be invited to the tribunal if he wanted to talk and the services judged it safe.

The dispute behind the crisis

The Constitutional Tribunal has been at the centre of a conflict since PiS, which governed from 2015 to 2023, appointed judges it considered politically aligned. The Court of Justice of the EU later ruled that the tribunal cannot be considered independent and impartial because of serious irregularities in the appointment of some of its judges and its president. Nawrocki has not sworn in most of the judges the Sejm elected on 13 March 2026, taking the oath from only two of the six, Magdalena Bentkowska and Dariusz Szostek. The European Court of Human Rights issued interim measures on 5 May 2026 asking Polish authorities not to block judges elected in March 2026 from taking office. The government of Donald Tusk says it is repairing the effects of interference in the judiciary, while the opposition accuses it of seeking control of the tribunal. HotNews reported that a move on the court's composition was expected in the coming days.

European Commission and reactions

The European Commission said it is following the crisis closely and that appointing eight new members of the tribunal falls within the constitutional powers of the Sejm. A Commission spokesperson said Polish authorities are responsible for ensuring the tribunal functions in line with the constitution and relevant EU Court of Justice case law. In a televised speech on 31 October, Tusk called the events of 30 October "scandalous incidents" and said he hoped such scenes would never happen again in Poland. He argued that restoring calm could not mean accepting lawlessness or violence, and that the rule of law would prevail over violence. The opposition accuses his government of attempting a coup. Nicola Procaccini, co-chair of the ECR group, condemned the Tusk government's actions as a clear and serious breach of the rule of law and urged European institutions not to look away.