Tusk suspends Poland's Constitutional Tribunal chief judge
President Nawrocki calls the move a forcible takeover as protests flare outside the Warsaw court.
By Aiko Soto ·
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk ordered the suspension of the Constitutional Tribunal president on Friday, escalating a decade-long dispute over judicial independence. Bogdan Swieczkowski, who served as a deputy justice minister under the previous government, was removed from his role after declining to seat judges chosen by the current parliamentary majority.
Tusk confirmed the decision in a post on X, stating that restoring the rule of law required decisive action. He described the process as difficult and sometimes painful, noting that there was no other path forward. In a televised address on Saturday, the prime minister asserted that the tribunal would function independently of his executive branch, in line with the national constitution.
President Karol Nawrocki, an ally of the Law and Justice party, rejected the government's actions. He returned to Warsaw mid-flight from Senegal and traveled to the court headquarters early Saturday. Standing before several hundred protesters, Nawrocki read a statement describing the situation as a breach of public order and a forcible takeover of a constitutional body.
The conflict stems from reforms enacted by the Law and Justice party after its 2015 electoral victory. The party established political control over top courts by canceling appointments made by the prior administration. In December 2025, the European Union's top court ruled the Constitutional Tribunal lacked independence and impartiality. The EU had withheld billions of euros in funds from Poland during the 2015 to 2023 period, citing subverted democratic checks.
Since taking office in 2023, Tusk's pro-European coalition has promised to restore judicial independence. Nawrocki, elected in 2025, has obstructed those efforts by refusing to swear in judges nominated by parliament. Swieczkowski reciprocated by refusing to recognize judges elected by the current majority. The current government is a broad coalition including the Civic Coalition, the Left, Poland 2050, and the Polish People's Party.
Protesters gathered outside the tribunal on Friday and Saturday nights, demanding Swieczkowski's reinstatement. Some demonstrators accused the government of executing a coup. Police, who began guarding the court on Friday afternoon, detained three individuals after they threw objects at officers and attempted to breach the security fence.
Representatives from Poland 2050 and the Polish People's Party met with Nawrocki on Saturday, while Tusk was absent. The president's camp aims to use the crisis to weaken Tusk's parliamentary majority. A general assembly of tribunal judges is scheduled for Tuesday. The court requires a quorum of 10 of its 15 judges to make decisions.
The next parliamentary election is set for one year from now. Tusk's coalition will face several hard-right parties that support the president's position. The outcome of the current standoff will influence the political trajectory leading up to that vote.
