Poland's Constitutional Tribunal Faces Rival Leadership Claims as Police Deploy
Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska suspended the Tribunal president and deputy on October 30, claiming acting leadership. President Nawrocki and PM Tusk remain in confrontation, with riot police outside the building.
Warsaw2 min read
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The suspension and rival claims
On Friday, October 30, 2026, Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska announced the one-month suspension of Constitutional Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski and his deputy Bartłomiej Sochański. She declared herself the acting head of the court. Święczkowski rejected the order and described it as a coup. The existing leadership continues to contest her authority. Riot police have guarded the Warsaw building since Friday afternoon. Hundreds of protesters, including Law and Justice (PiS) supporters, gathered outside demanding the reinstatement of the previous leadership.
Korwin-Piotrowska is one of the judges elected by the current parliamentary majority but blocked from taking up duties by President Karol Nawrocki and the Tribunal's existing leadership. Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek has sought to strip Święczkowski and Sochański of judicial immunity, potentially opening the way for criminal charges related to alleged obstruction of the court's work.
Political confrontation
Prime Minister Donald Tusk defended the steps in a televised address. He stated that the Tribunal in the form imposed by the previous PiS government was not a real court and that repeated attempts to resolve the dispute through legislation had been blocked. Tusk said there can be no compromise on the rule of law. President Nawrocki, a PiS ally elected in 2025, cut short a foreign trip, returned to Warsaw, and accused the government of a forcible takeover. He convened talks with parliamentary parties; Tusk's Civic Coalition did not attend.
Nawrocki has refused to swear in several judges elected by the Sejm. Those judges took oaths in parliament but have been barred from hearing cases. The European Commission has reiterated that parliament must have the right to appoint judges and is monitoring the situation.
Next steps
Korwin-Piotrowska has called a general assembly of Tribunal judges for November 3 to approve the court's proposed 2027 budget. The existing leadership does not recognize her authority to convene it. The dispute continues a decade-long conflict over control of the Tribunal that began under the PiS government and has affected Poland's relations with the European Union. The outcome will determine whether the court can function with a recognized quorum and leadership in the coming weeks.
