Poland’s highest legal authority collapsed into chaos on Friday evening as a group of sidelined judges moved to strip the court’s nationalist leadership of their power. Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, a judge within the institution, issued an order suspending President Bogdan Święczkowski and his deputy for one month, claiming she would take temporary command. The move immediately triggered a firestorm, with Święczkowski dismissing her authority and labeling the sudden shift in leadership a coup d’etat while security personnel physically blocked his deputy from entering the courthouse.
The internal rebellion represents a sharp escalation in the ongoing war between Prime Minister Donald Tusk and the remnants of the previous Law and Justice administration. For nearly a decade, the PiS party packed the Constitutional Tribunal with loyalists to secure its legislative agenda, leading to severe friction with Brussels over democratic norms. While Tusk argues that purging these appointments is necessary to restore the rule of law after years of systemic abuse, opponents claim he is simply using different tactics to seize control of the judiciary for himself.
The tension spilled onto the streets where protesters clashed with police outside the tribunal building. High profile figures joined the fray, including PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński, who attempted to storm the facility while accusing Tusk of transforming Poland into a police state. Even President Karol Nawrocki felt compelled to cut short an official visit to Senegal, rushing back home to intervene in what has become a high stakes standoff between two incompatible visions of Polish justice.
As the dust settles, Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek remains steadfast, asserting that Święczkowski had treated the court as a private fiefdom for far too long. Żurek revealed that he has filed multiple requests to lift the immunity of the ousted leaders, citing fifty volumes of evidence regarding their conduct. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Tusk maintains that although the process of dismantling PiS influence may be painful and divisive, there is no other path toward reclaiming judicial independence for his country.