Polish Constitutional Tribunal faces constitutional crisis over judge appointments

The Constitutional Tribunal (Trybunał Konstytucyjny) in Poland ruled that the president is not required to automatically withdraw the oath of judges appointed by the Sejm, but must have sufficient time to perform his constitutional duties. The court altered the wording of a request from PiS lawmakers and substituted two of its judges with “dummy” appointees, a move critics say was intended to avoid delivering a decision favorable to the ruling party.

Former Tribunal president Prof. Marek Safjan, together with other ex‑presidents, warned that the impasse is “dramatic” and could persist for up to 15 years. In a letter to former justice minister Janusz Nawrocki, they highlighted the risk to constitutional order, noting that judges are being excluded from work and denied remuneration. Safjan called the situation a severe breach of the constitution and urged a broader solution to reconstitute the Tribunal.