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Riot police deploy at Poland's top court after its chief judge is suspended

Poland's president turned back from a trip to Senegal and entered the building, while Prime Minister Donald Tusk says restoring the rule of law is a duty.

11 news outlets reported this
Liberal3 outletsCenter3 outletsConservative5 outlets
Published 4 min read
Overview

Riot police were deployed outside Poland's Constitutional Court in Warsaw on Friday, Oct. 30, after its president, Bogdan Święczkowski, was suspended. Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska said she had suspended him and taken charge. The court's own social media account said Święczkowski and his deputy, Bartłomiej Sochański, remain in office and called the action a coup d'état.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside. According to The Guardian and the Daily Wire, police said three people were detained and objects were thrown at officers. President Karol Nawrocki, who is backed by the Law and Justice party (PiS), turned his plane around on the way to Senegal and returned to Warsaw.

Outlets report he entered the building early Saturday. Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek said he had asked to lift the immunity of Święczkowski and Sochański so they could face prosecution. Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote that restoring the rule of law is his government's duty and requires decisive action.

Law expert Marcin Matczak, a critic of PiS, said the suspension had no legal basis. The dispute over the court dates to 2015. Outlets differ on how many parliament-elected judges Nawrocki has refused to swear in: The Guardian and BBC say five, while the New York Post and Fox News say three of six nominated.

Three sides of the story

Liberal3 outlets

The Guardian frames the night as the latest escalation in a decade-long fight over the court's legal status. It describes the suspension as a move by judges elected by the current parliamentary majority and traces the roots to 2015, when rival governments packed the bench. It stresses that Tusk's reform efforts have been blocked by opposition-aligned presidents, and says Nawrocki refused to swear in five judges, a step the Venice Commission said should not keep them off the bench.

It gives space to Tusk, who calls the process painful but necessary, and to foreign minister Sikorski, who says the tribunal was politicised under the previous government. It also quotes Matczak, a critic of PiS, who calls the legal basis for the suspension non-existent, and says experts are divided. It reports condemnation from Kaczyński, opposition leaders and European far-right figures, plus the US ambassador's warning.

It adds that the clash could polarise voters before next year's election.

Center3 outlets

BBC News presents the story as a standoff pitting Tusk's government against PiS, its predecessor in power. It leads with Żurek's request to lift the immunity of the court's president and vice-president, and with the court's own statement that the two remain its legal heads and that those involved are committing a coup d'état. It gives background on 2015, noting that European courts found the PiS majority had improperly elected three judges and that the tribunal was no longer independent and impartial, and that Tusk's government used those rulings to stop publishing its decisions.

It reports that Nawrocki and his predecessor Duda used vetoes against Tusk's efforts, and that Nawrocki has not sworn in five judges, one of whom, Korwin-Piotrowska, is now in temporary charge. BBC quotes Tusk's post about decisive action, mentions the Venice Commission's view, and notes that elections are scheduled next year. It also quotes Matczak, who says the suspension has no legal basis and will bring lasting backlash against the rule of law.

Conservative5 outlets

Outlets on the right put the "coup" accusation and the protests at the center. Fox News and the Daily Wire report that Nawrocki turned his plane around. Fox quotes Morawiecki, a former prime minister, and Ziobro, a former PiS justice minister, who denounced a forceful takeover.

Fox and the New York Post's Reuters report say the president declined to seat three of the six judges that parliament put forward. The Washington Examiner describes a government raid, says Tusk took credit for it, and reports that Nawrocki forced his way into the building past police barriers. It also covers the dispute over judge Maciej Berek's qualifications and quotes MEP Beata Szydło, who calls the scenes a violation of democratic principles.

The Daily Wire adds that police said they deployed at the request of Korwin-Piotrowska and Żurek, citing potential threats to judges and staff, and notes that Matczak, a critic of PiS, disputed the legal basis. Fox also carries the US ambassador's statement.

Where outlets disagree
  • How many parliament-chosen judges President Nawrocki has declined to swear in
    • The Guardian (US): The Guardian says the president turned away five judges elected by the current parliament.
    • BBC News: BBC says he has not sworn in five judges that parliament elected since March.
    • New York Post: The New York Post, running Reuters, says he declined to swear in three of the six judges that parliament nominated.
    • Fox News: Fox News says he did not swear in three of the six judges nominated by parliament.
All sources: 17 articles from 11 outlets

Liberal (6)

Center (3)

Conservative (8)

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