Poland President Forces Entry Into Court After Judges Suspend President

Warsaw turned tense on Friday night as riot police formed a perimeter around the constitutional court.

The standoff occurred after a panel of government-appointed judges suspended the court's president, Bogdan Święczkowski, and his deputy, Bartłomiej Sochański. The decision stemmed from long-running disagreements regarding the legal status of the bench. The move immediately drew sharp criticism from the rightwing Law and Justice party. Leader Jarosław Kaczyński described the action as an assault on the institution.

The court has been a focal point for conflict since 2015, when competing political factions attempted to shape the membership of the bench. The dispute stalled the court's operations for years. It continued to flare up during the eight-year rule of the Law and Justice party, which faced friction with the European Union over rule of law standards. Since 2023, Prime Minister Donald Tusk has sought to reverse earlier reforms to improve relations with Brussels. He has refused to recognize the court's current structure. His efforts were blocked by presidents who used veto powers. This year, President Karol Nawrocki added to the complexity by refusing to swear in five judges elected by the current parliament.

Nawrocki, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, was en route to a state visit in Senegal when the suspension took place. He turned his plane around and returned to Warsaw to intervene. Hundreds of people, including opposition members of parliament, gathered outside the building to support the suspended judges. Police arrested three individuals who attempted to force their way through the security lines.

Just before 1am on Saturday, Nawrocki appeared at the scene. Video footage showed him pushing through the police cordon and tussling with security personnel and other judges to gain entry. As of 4am local time, the president remained inside the building. In a clip shared online, Nawrocki stated that the government appointees were not judges of the constitutional court.

At 5am, a statement was read on the president's behalf outside the court. It accused the government of violating Poland's constitutional order and seizing a constitutional body by force. The statement demanded that security forces leave the premises. Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek separately announced that he had requested the removal of legal immunity for Święczkowski and Sochański. He said they should face prosecution for obstructing the court's work.

Legal experts remain divided on the validity of the suspension. Marcin Matczak, a law expert and critic of the opposition, said he believed the legal basis for the suspension was non-existent. He noted that he did not expect to defend Święczkowski, a former minister under the Law and Justice party. Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, one of the five judges Nawrocki did not accept, claimed the top position. She cited her extensive experience in the judiciary as the reason for her assumption of the role.

Prime Minister Tusk maintained that restoring the rule of law was a duty. He described the process as difficult and sometimes painful, requiring decisive action. He pledged that the court would begin working in accordance with the constitution regardless of public opinion. Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski told reporters at a G20 meeting in Atlanta that the tribunal was politicized under the previous government. He said the current events aim to allow the majority of elected judges to make the tribunal function again.

Opposition leaders and the court's social media accounts labeled the government's actions a judicial coup. European far-right figures, including Nigel Farage and Geert Wilders, condemned the move. US Ambassador Tom Rose called the events very serious. He noted that both sides offered sharply different accounts of the situation. He warned that the large gathering of people outside the tribunal made the situation more combustible.