The police deployment outside Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal shows how far the dispute over the institution has already gone. A conflict over offices and judicial appointments is now being played out through demonstrations, barriers and conflicting statements from the court itself. This is not a routine personnel row. It is public evidence that the authority of a constitutional court is being contested from within the state.
Police secured the tribunal grounds in Warsaw on the evening of 30 October after a judge raised concerns about the safety of judges and staff, according to Tagesschau. The broadcaster reported that some demonstrators, most of them described as supporters of the opposition PiS, tried to breach barriers and that three people were arrested. The immediate trigger was a notice on the tribunal’s website saying that its president, Bogdan Swieczkowski, and his deputy had been suspended for one month. A subsequent post from the tribunal’s X account denied this and said Swieczkowski remained in office.
Those incompatible messages are the central alarm. A constitutional court can resolve political disputes only when its own leadership and procedures are clear enough to command compliance. Here, even the question of who can lead the court is being fought over in public.
The background matters. The Court of Justice of the European Union had found serious defects in appointments made during the PiS era and concluded that the tribunal could not then be regarded as independent and impartial. Donald Tusk’s government has sought to reverse contested judicial changes. But President Karol Nawrocki, described by Tagesschau as close to PiS, has refused to swear in five judges nominated by parliament. Swieczkowski then denied them access to the building, the report says. The European Court of Human Rights ruled in May that those judges should be allowed to begin their work.
That history does not establish that removing the existing leadership by any means would be lawful. The supplied reporting does not provide the full legal basis for the alleged suspension or all parties’ formal documents. That uncertainty matters. Still, blocking judges whose entry is supported by a court ruling, while leaving the institution’s command structure opaque, cannot credibly restore constitutional authority.
The next test is the meeting of all constitutional judges that Anna Korwin-Piotrowska has called for 3 November. It should show whether the tribunal can return to verifiable rules, or whether the conflict will remain dependent on police lines and street mobilisation.
Sources
- Tagesschau · Source date: 2026-10-31
- Der Spiegel · Source date: 2026-10-30
Independent editorial content. WUA is not affiliated with any political party. 2026-10-31