Charges against Tribunal chancellery and security leadership
On 23 September 2026, the National Prosecutor's Office announced criminal charges against two officials at Poland's Constitutional Tribunal: Chancellery director Zofia H. and Tribunal Guard commander Piotr P. Spokesperson Anna Adamiak stated that Zofia H. failed to fulfill official duties by preventing appointed judges from carrying out their functions, providing inadequate working conditions, and violating their employee rights. Piotr P. faces allegations of exceeding authority by subjecting judges to dignity-violating movement restrictions and blocking their access to assigned chambers. Both suspects pleaded not guilty and refused to submit formal explanations. Prosecutors placed both officials under preventive measures, including suspension from their posts, bans on entering the Tribunal building, and prohibitions on contacting judges or staff, with Zofia H. also placed under police supervision.
Dispute over parliamentary appointments and oaths
The criminal proceedings center on four judges elected by the Sejm in March 2026: Krystian Markiewicz, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, Maciej Taborowski, and Marcin Dziurda. President Karol Nawrocki did not administer the official oath of office to the group, pointing to procedural irregularities during the parliamentary vote. In response, the four appointees took an oath in the Sejm Column Hall on 9 April 2026 with the phrase "before the president", a ceremony the Chancellery of the President rejected as invalid. Constitutional Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski subsequently blocked the four appointees from entering judicial chambers and taking part in rulings, prompting the four judges to lodge an application with the European Court of Human Rights. The current Sejm has elected eight judges in total, including former minister Maciej Berek, whose confirmation remains held up by presidential requests for verification of a ten-year legal counsel record.
- Sejm elects four judges to the Constitutional Tribunal
- Four judges take oath in the Sejm Column Hall without presidential attendance
- Prosecutors charge Tribunal chancellery director and guard commander with blocking judges
- Justice Minister Żurek affirms Sejm-elected judges will enter the Tribunal
Government considers potential law enforcement intervention
Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek addressed the standoff in television and radio broadcasts on 23 and 24 September 2026, stating that authorities are executing planned legal stages to open the court to Sejm-elected judges. When asked whether police could enter the premises or remove court leadership, Żurek declined to detail upcoming steps but affirmed that state enforcement remains an option if unlawful obstruction continues. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński previously noted that police will intervene if laws are violated inside the Tribunal facility. Żurek noted that while Święczkowski holds judicial immunity, chancellery and security personnel carrying out orders do not.
We cannot rule out that we will restore the law using the services that are responsible in the state for maintaining that order.
Tribunal response and street demonstrations
Święczkowski rejected the charges during a broadcast on Telewizja Republika on 23 September 2026, describing the investigation as an attack against a constitutional institution by a bandit state. He stated that all administrative decisions regarding the four blocked judges were made directly by him rather than the two charged administrative officials, whom he described as victims of political pressure.
Now all that is left for them is to enter with the police and lead me out in handcuffs, for which I am prepared, but I will return to the Tribunal.
In front of the Tribunal headquarters on Aleja Szucha in Warsaw, supporters organized by Gazeta Polska clubs set up a tent camp. Organizers scheduled daily meetings, lectures, and musical performances at 17:30 to maintain a continuous public presence outside the building.