Poland's Supreme Court appoints Zbigniew Kapiński as First President amid PiS criticism

President Karol Nawrocki appointed Zbigniew Kapiński as the First President of Poland's Supreme Court. The nomination was strongly opposed by Law and Justice (PiS) leader Jarosław Kaczyński, who had previously criticised Kapiński’s candidacy. In an interview Kapiński said he had only one conversation with President Nawrocki after receiving the nomination and affirmed he would not block the first meeting of the National Council of the Judiciary. Former judges and commentators described the appointment as politically driven, calling Kapiński a “neojudge” selected by an illegal National Council of the Judiciary. Kapiński defended his independence, quoting a former court president: “If politicians attack you from all sides, you are a truly independent judge.” He also reiterated his view on the 2000 lustration ruling on Lech Wałęsa, saying that evidence had been deliberately hidden and that he would have reached the same decision again.