Europe·Poland
Riot police deployed at Poland's top court as Tusk moves to prosecute its judges
WARSAW —
Depth
Dig five layers into this story — from what happened to the full picture.
L1What happened
Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek wants charges against Bogdan Święczkowski and Bartłomiej Sochański for not letting parliament-elected judges adjudicate. Anna Korwin-Piotrowska was placed in temporary charge.
L2Who’s affected
Poland's courts and voters; PiS supporters protested outside. Critic Marcin Matczak said the move "buries this body and the issue of the rule of law for two decades."
L3Why it’s quiet
Analysis · OVERLOOKED Polish judicial fights are complex and slow, and broke during the final week of the U.S. midterm campaign.
L4Deeper impact
Nawrocki refuses to swear in five judges elected by parliament since March; the Venice Commission said he should. Tusk’s government stopped publishing tribunal rulings. With parliamentary elections next year, some see the move as an attempt to boost Tusk’s popularity; he was also criticised for nominating Maciej Berek, a former minister in his cabinet, as a judge.
L5Full context
PiS packed the court after 2015. The ECHR and CJEU ruled three judges were improperly elected and the court is no longer "independent and impartial." Duda and Nawrocki vetoes blocked Tusk's reversals.
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Original reporting
This is an OVERLOOKED summary of the reporting above. Facts and figures come from the linked sources. Everything here is a fact unless it is labelled otherwise. Support this work.
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