Poland's Court Crisis Deepens as President Cuts Trip Short and Envoy Resigns

Poland's dispute over its Constitutional Tribunal widened on Friday. President Karol Nawrocki interrupted a trip to Senegal to return home, the court rejected the suspension of its two top officials, and Poland's ambassador to China resigned, saying he could no longer serve.

Anadolu Agency and Al Jazeera reported that police were deployed around the Warsaw court as protesters gathered. The two outlets differ on whether officers went inside the building.

What has changed since the suspension order

According to Anadolu, Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska issued orders suspending Tribunal President Bogdan Swieczkowski and Vice President Bartlomiej Sochanski. She accused them of obstructing judges elected by the parliamentary majority and of violating court procedures. Al Jazeera reported that she has now been placed in charge of the tribunal.

The tribunal rejected the orders. It said on its website that Swieczkowski and Sochanski remain in their posts. In a post on X, it said everyone taking part in the moves was committing the crime of a coup d'état.

Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek told reporters he had asked for the immunity of Swieczkowski and his deputy to be lifted, Al Jazeera reported. He said they had failed in their duties by keeping judges from working. Anadolu reported that the government also moved toward criminal charges against the two.

Protesters, many of them supporters of the Law and Justice party (PiS), gathered at the tribunal's gates. Anadolu reported that some reportedly climbed the fence and threw objects at police. Al Jazeera reported that police detained three people after what they called dangerous projectiles were thrown.

On police entry, Al Jazeera said officers reported entering the tribunal's premises. Anadolu said police stated they had not entered the building and rejected claims that they stormed it.

The government's case

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X that restoring the rule of law is the government's duty. He called the process after years of PiS-led lawlessness difficult and at times painful, and said it requires decisive action.

Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, speaking from Atlanta at a G20 meeting, said the steps aim to restore the court's functioning after what he described as politicization under the previous government.

Al Jazeera reported that over the past six months Swieczkowski used his authority as head of the court to keep judges chosen by the current parliamentary majority from taking up their duties.

The president and the opposition respond

Nawrocki, who is allied with PiS, wrote on X that "At such a moment, the President must be in Poland." Anadolu reported he was expected in Warsaw late Friday evening.

PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski went to the court and called the events a "coup against the Constitutional Tribunal," Anadolu reported. He urged Nawrocki to intervene. Former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro wrote on X that the suspension was a blatant, criminal attack on the constitutional order, according to Al Jazeera.

Ambassador Jakub Kumoch said on X that, given events in the country, he had submitted his resignation and a request to be recalled.

PiS and Nawrocki accuse the government of using a rule-of-law campaign to push political opponents out of key state institutions, Anadolu reported.

Why the standoff began

The dispute dates to 2015, when the PiS-led government took office and its parliamentary majority moved quickly to appoint judges to the tribunal. The court can rule on whether legislation is legal. According to Anadolu, the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union found that the PiS majority had improperly elected three judges, because they took seats already validly filled by the previous parliament. Those courts said the tribunal was no longer an independent and impartial tribunal.

Anadolu reported that Tusk's government has used those rulings as grounds to stop publishing the tribunal's decisions. Tusk promised to depoliticize the judiciary when he took office in 2023. Both Nawrocki and his predecessor, Andrzej Duda, used presidential vetoes against such attempts, according to Anadolu and Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera reported that since his election in mid-2025, Nawrocki has refused to swear in three of six judges nominated by parliament.

Why it matters: who has the last word on Polish law

The tribunal can decide whether laws comply with the constitution, so the question of who legitimately leads it affects how disputes over legislation are settled. Al Jazeera described the court as effectively paralyzed by the fight. Each side now claims the other is acting unlawfully, and the court's own statement and the government's orders point to two competing claims of authority over the same institution. Reports differ on key details, including police entry into the building.

What happens next

Anadolu reported that Nawrocki was set to meet Zbigniew Kapinski, the first president of the Supreme Court, after landing in Warsaw. No outcome of that meeting has been reported. The request to lift the immunity of Swieczkowski and Sochanski is also pending.

Earlier on Around Prague: Who Runs Poland's Top Court? A Suspension Order Sets Off a Standoff

Around Prague, based on reporting by Anadolu Ajansı, Al Jazeera