Tusk-Nawrocki battle escalates as chief judge is ousted from Poland’s top court
A bid to remove the court’s nationalist-linked leadership sparked accusations of a coup and clashes between protesters and police in Warsaw.
Amidst escalating tensions at Poland's highest court, chief judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska took charge after suspending its president and deputy for a month. The constitutional court's leadership - long dominated by nationalist-leaning appointees during the former Law and Justice (PiS) government - has been at the center of Prime Minister Donald Tusk's campaign to restore rule of law.
Tusk's efforts intensified as the court, now controlled by PiS loyalists, faces scrutiny from Brussels over judicial independence. Protesters clashed with police outside the court, with three detained for climbing over its fence. PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński joined the unrest, accusing Tusk of orchestrating a "coup" against the judiciary and Poland's descent into a "police state."
Meanwhile, President Karol Nawrocki, another PiS ally, rushed back to Poland from Senegal to assert his authority. President Nawrocki demanded swift action to restore the court's integrity, following the EU's criticism that it failed to meet European standards of judicial independence. Despite backlash from critics, including Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek, who accused nationalist leader Święczkowski of turning the court into a "private fiefdom," the judiciary remains a contentious battleground in Poland's political landscape.
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