Clash over Constitutional Court escalates in Poland

2026-10-31

Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska announced the suspension of the duties of the court’s president, Bogdan Święczkowski, and vice-president Bartosz Sochański.
President Karol Nawrocki cut short his visit to Senegal, returned to Warsaw and went to the court during the night; he called the events a violent takeover and demanded that security forces withdraw.
The legality of the suspension and temporary assumption of duties is disputed: the court maintained that Święczkowski remains president and described the move as a coup.
Police forces were deployed around the building, where protesters had gathered; police arrested three people who tried to enter the premises.
There are conflicting accounts of whether Nawrocki entered the building: his office confirmed that he did, while Judge Maciej Berek said he had not and accused him of physically attacking judges.
The crisis also concerns the new judges elected by parliament, whose oaths Nawrocki refused to accept.