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Police deployed during stand-off over control of top Poland court
· Confirmed
In Short: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk deployed riot police around the country's constitutional court Friday after suspending its chief justice, Bogdan Święczkowski, and his deputy, Bartłomiej Sochański, in a move that has sparked protests and accusations of a coup.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk deployed riot police around the country's constitutional court Friday after suspending its chief justice, Bogdan Święczkowski, and his deputy, Bartłomiej Sochański, in a move that has sparked protests and accusations of a coup. AFP reported that President Karol Nawrocki, a right-wing independent, called off a visit to Africa mid-flight to return to Poland, while BBC noted that Tusk's government has been trying for weeks to force out the court's judges appointed by the previous PiS government.
AFP and BBC agreed that the court frequently ruled in favor of Polish legislation over European Union law, leading the EU to accuse Poland's highest court of being too close to the nationalist political power of the time. AFP noted that the country's president has blocked nominations to the court, while BBC reported that Tusk has vowed to depoliticize the judiciary.
BBC and politico.eu reported that Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek requested the stripping of the court's President Bogdan Święczkowski and Vice-President Bartłomiej Sochański of their immunity from prosecution to bring criminal charges against them. BBC quoted Żurek as saying, “After years of PiS-led lawlessness, this is a difficult process, sometimes painful, and it requires decisive action. There is no other way.”
Notes From Poland reported that the statement did not say who had ordered the break, but it cited article 130 of the law on common courts, under which the president of a court or the justice minister can order an immediate break in a judge’s official duties if they are caught in the act of committing an offence. Notes From Poland also noted that Tusk’s government has ignored the court’s rulings and refused to nominate new judges to fill vacancies.
BBC and politico.eu reported that President Karol Nawrocki, a PiS ally and rival of Tusk, interrupted his official trip to Senegal, declaring, “At a moment like this, the president must be in Poland.” Tusk was defiant, and Nawrocki issued only a limited comment in response, saying, “At such a moment, the President must be in Poland. I'm interrupting my flight to Senegal. I'm returning.”
BBC and politico.eu reported that the court's turmoil began when Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska ordered the suspension of Święczkowski and his deputy for a month and announced she was taking charge. Święczkowski rejected her authority, accusing those involved of a “coup d’état,” while his deputy was turned away at the building’s gates.
The sources have not established the exact legal basis for the suspension of the court's chief justice and his deputy, and the extent to which the move will affect Poland's relationship with the European Union.
What's confirmed
- "After years of PiS-led lawlessness, this is a difficult process, sometimes painful, and it requires decisive action. There is no other way."
- Nawrocki issued only a limited comment in response, saying "At such a moment, the President must be in Poland. I'm interrupting my flight to Senegal. I'm returning."
What's still developing
- "In modern Europe, a democratic state cannot function without a constitutional court (...) that acts as a guarantor of citizens' rights and freedoms."
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- Tusk has vowed to depoliticise the judiciary, and on Friday defended the move as PiS supporters gathered outside the court premises in Warsaw in protest.
- Leading European courts - the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union - subsequently ruled the PiS majority had elected three of the judges improperly because they were duplicating positions that had been validly filled by the previous parliament.
- "Today's action at the Constitutional Court, in my opinion, buries this body and the issue of the rule of law for two decades," Prof Matczak wrote on social media.
- Lawyer Marcin Matczak, a critic of the PiS-era judicial reform who has stated he considers Święczkowski to be the court's worst president, said his suspension had no legal basis "for a million reasons".
- Oct 30, 2026 | Featured, Law, Politics Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers.
- “And now the judges have spoken,” Żurek told POLITICO. Żurek, who also serves as Poland’s prosecutor general, said he submitted five requests to lift the immunity of Święczkowski and his deputy, backed by 50 volumes of case files.
- He accused Tusk of staging a “coup” against the court and turning Poland into a “police state,” and demanded presidential intervention.
- Poland’s constitutional court descended into turmoil Friday evening as judges barred from hearing cases moved to oust the institution’s nationalist-linked leadership, sparking accusations of a coup and tense protests.
- During its eight years in power, PiS filled the Constitutional Tribunal with its appointees, including Święczkowski and his deputy, placing it at the heart of Poland’s confrontation with Brussels over the rule of law.
- Last December, the EU’s top court ruled that it failed to meet European standards of judicial independence.