President Nawrocki appoints Zbigniew Kapiński as Supreme Court chief amid criticism

President Karol Nawrocki named Judge Zbigniew Kapiński as the new I president of Poland’s Supreme Court, with the appointment taking effect on Wednesday. The decision was presented as a selection from five candidates put forward by the Court’s General Assembly and highlighted Kapiński’s past opposition to what the presidential spokesperson described as violations of the rule of law.

Former head of the National Security Bureau, historian Sławomir Cenckiewicz publicly condemned the nomination on X, calling it a “terrible mistake” and labeling the presidential justification a “pyramidal lie.” Cenckiewicz linked the controversy to the 2000 lustration ruling on former President Lech Wałęsa, in which Kapiński participated. Other political figures, including Jarosław Kaczyński and members of the Confederation party, also voiced opposition, while former minister Roman Giertych expressed gratitude to Kapiński for past actions related to the Polnord case.