Posts in the category
Disciplinary proceedings against a judge for telling the truth about staffing problems in courts
A judge from Łódź wrote critical remarks on the internet about the president of a court nominated by Zbigniew Ziobro, staff shortages in courts, and the promotion by the National Council of the Judiciary of judges “from their side”. Disciplinary spokesman Przemysław Radzik decided that the justice crossed a line by discussing this publicly and has brought disciplinary charges against him.
Prosecutor Wójtowicz under fire for defending judicial independence
The head of the national public prosecutor’s office, Bogdan Święczkowski, is seeking to punish prosecutor Piotr Wójtowicz (pictured below) for his presence at a demonstration protesting attacks on the independence of the Supreme Court and National Council of the Judiciary (KRS). Święczkowski is demanding punishment for “political” activity, despite the fact that he himself ran as a candidate of Law and Justice (PiS) in recent elections. The verdict in this case will set a major precedent and will show whether all prosecutors are equal under the law.
Open Letter in Support of Professor Wojciech Sadurski
We write to speak out and to stand up for freedom of speech
Polish judges demand apology from Prime Minister over comparison to Nazi collaborators
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki compares current judiciary reforms in Poland to legal cleansing in France after the Second World War
New Supreme Court judges rule their appointments were proper; European Commission questions status of Disciplinary Chamber
The Disciplinary Chamber is populated entirely by justices selected since Law and Justice came to power. In a resolution of 10 April, they declared that the process by which they were appointed was entirely proper. The new members of the Supreme Court are rushing to “legalise themselves” in order to head off the “older” judges, who believe their new counterparts should not be allowed to rule. They were appointed in a faulty process and with the participation of a politicised KRS.
AG Tanchev suggests that Poland violated judicial independence
According to the Court of Justice’s Advocate General, Poland failed to guarantee effective legal protection by lowering the retirement age of Supreme Court judges and granting the President the discretion to prolong their mandate. The AG opinion is not binding on the ECJ, but the bench usually follows its conclusions.
European Commission opens debate to strengthen the rule of law in the EU, mentions Polish case
The European Commission has launched a reflection process on the rule of law in the EU and setting out possible avenues for future action. It outlined three pillars which could contribute to further the effective enforcement of the rule of law in the Union: better promotion, early prevention and tailored reposnse
Commission to combat new disciplinary regime
Today, the European Commission has launched an infringement procedure by sending a Letter of Formal Notice to Poland regarding the new disciplinary regime for judges. The Polish government has 2 months to reply.
Announcement: Launching New Resource on Rule of Law in Poland
Rule of Law in Poland is a new English-language online resource on the backsliding of the rule of law in Poland
Why rule of law in Poland matters?
A selection of experts answer the question. Sadurski / Krygier / Halmai / Pech / Belavusau / Csaky / Chapman / Dam