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Poland constitutional feud intensifies

Updated 11 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-09-09 05:37 UTC → 2026-09-11 09:57 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The institutional conflict in Poland has intensified as the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) officially communicated the case ‘Dziurda and Others v. Poland’ to the government. The ECHR is investigating whether Poland’s refusal to allow four Constitutional Tribunal judges—Marcin Dziurda, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, Maciej Taborowski, and Krystian Markiewicz—to perform their duties violates an interim measure issued in May. Internal tensions remain high following a July 14 incident where police and prosecutors entered the Tribunal headquarters. President Bogdan Święczkowski has refused to allow the four Sejm-elected judges to participate in proceedings. In response, seven Tribunal judges issued an appeal requesting that these members be permitted to adjudicate, stating that implementing the ECHR interim measure is a ‘necessary first step’ toward resolving the crisis and ensuring legal certainty. One judge, Sławomir Patyra, has announced he will refuse to participate in any procedures until the others are admitted. As the Sejm prepares to vote in early September on the candidacy of Maciej Berek—a former minister and close ally of Prime Minister Donald Tusk—the crisis. Legal scrutiny ~~of the Tribunal’s past operations~~ has ~~expanded. The Polish prosecution is now investigating allegations of misconduct involving~~ expanded to include former Tribunal President Julia Przyłębska. Following a notification by the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, ~~investigators are looking~~ Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek has initiated an investigation into ~~claims~~ allegations that judicial panels were unlawfully altered in 885 cases between 2015 and 2020 to influence political outcomes. Przyłębska has denied the allegations, maintaining that all appointments followed existing regulations. Financial and security tensions have also emerged. President Święczkowski has appealed to the Social Dialogue Council for support in securing 78.05 million PLN for the 2027 state budget, arguing that the government’s budget draft omitted the Tribunal’s financing. Additionally, a significant police presence was reported at the Tribunal’s headquarters during its 40th-anniversary conference; while some suggested this was to block Święczkowski, the Warsaw Metropolitan Police stated officers were there to manage standard gatherings.

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