Constitutional Tribunal (Poland)
| Constitutional Tribunal | |
|---|---|
| Trybunał Konstytucyjny | |
 | |
 | |
| Established |
|
| Location | Warsaw, Poland |
| Composition method | Prime minister's nomination with Sejm confirmation. President and Vice President appointed by the President of Poland. |
| Authorized by | Constitution of the Republic of Poland |
| Judge term length | 9 years, one term only |
| Number of positions | 15 |
| Language | Polish |
| Website | www |
| President | |
| Currently | Julia Przyłębska Over-Term |
| Since | 21 December 2016[a] |
| Vice President | |
| Currently | dr hab. Mariusz Muszyński |
| Since | 5 July 2017 |
 |
|---|
The Constitutional Tribunal (Polish: Trybunał Konstytucyjny) is the constitutional court of the Republic of Poland, a judicial body established to resolve disputes on the constitutionality of the activities of state institutions; its main task is to supervise the compliance of statutory law with the Constitution of the Republic of Poland.
Its creation was a request of the Solidarity movement following its 1981 National Congress that took place a few weeks before the introduction of martial law.[1] The Tribunal was established on 26 March 1982 and judges took office on 1 January 1986.
The tribunal's powers increased in 1989 with the transition to the capitalist Third Polish Republic and in 1997 with the establishment of a new Constitution.[2] The Constitution mandates that its 15 members are elected by the Sejm, the lower house, for 9 years. It is the subject of an appointment crisis since 2015.
It should not be confused with the Supreme Court of Poland.
Powers
[edit]The Constitutional Tribunal adjudicates on the compliance with the Constitution of legislation and international agreements (also their ratification), on disputes over the powers of central constitutional bodies, and on compliance with the Constitution of the aims and activities of political parties. It also rules on constitutional complaints.[citation needed]
Composition
[edit]The Constitutional Tribunal is made up of 15 judges chosen by the Sejm RP (the lower house of parliament) for single nine-year terms. The Constitutional Tribunal constitutes one of the formal guarantees of a state grounded on the rule of law.[citation needed]
History
[edit]1982–1989: People's Republic of Poland
[edit]The Constitutional Tribunal was established by the amendment of the Constitution of the People's Republic of Poland on 26 March 1982.[1] Due to the brevity of the introduced article 33a, it was decided that a law must be brought forth that would outline the proceedings of the Constitutional Tribunal.[3] This became an intricate process with 15 drafts developed, and the final act was ratified by the Sejm on 29 April 1985 which allowed for the formal commencement of the Tribunal's judicial proceedings on 1 January 1986.[3] But the courts competence and judicial capacity were limited at this time, as all rulings on the constitutionality of bills could be dismissed by a 2/3 majority vote in the Sejm.[2] This in effect would place the rulings in an indefinite moratorium as these votes rarely occurred.[2]
On 24 January 1986 the first motion, reference U 1/86, was brought before the Constitutional Tribunal on behalf of the Presidium of the Provincial National Council in Wrocław.[3] The claimants sought to contend two paragraphs of the Ordinance of the Council of Ministers in regard to the sale of state property and the procedures and costs related to it as unconstitutional.[3] In opposition to the government's stance, the court ruled in a 3-member panel on 28 May 1986 that the introduced paragraphs were unconstitutional.[3] The Council of Ministers called for a reevaluation of the case, but on 5 November 1986 the Constitutional Tribunal upheld its ruling.[3]
1989–2014: Third Polish Republic
[edit]In 1989 the Constitutional Tribunal's powers expanded as it secured the right to universally decide on the binding interpretation of laws.[2] Many changes came with the enactment of the 1997 Constitution; the number of judges increased from 12 to 15, terms of office were elongated by 1 year for a total of 9 years, and the Tribunal lost its competence to decide the interpretation of legal statutes (in the form of abstract provisions).[2]
2015–2016: Polish Constitutional Court crisis
[edit]
In 2015, the governing Civic Platform (Platforma Obywatelska, PO) party lost both the presidential election and the parliament (Sejm) majority to the Law and Justice party (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, PiS), which won an unprecedented absolute majority of seats.
Before the new president of Poland, Andrzej Duda, assumed office on 6 August 2015, and the new (eighth) Sejm was seated on 12 November 2015, the PO majority attempted to nominate enough judges so that the judicial branch would not quickly fall under the control of PiS.
In 2015, 5 of the 15 seats were due to be replaced. Three terms were due to end during the Sejm's recess (after the 25 October election but before the eighth Sejm was seated on 12 November). Two others were due for early December.
PO attempted to nominate all five seats due to be vacant in the year 2015 in advance. In June 2015, they enacted a provision in which it sought to transfer such power to the Sejm.[4] Then on 8 October 2015, two weeks before the election, the Sejm elected these 5 judges. The new President Duda refused to let any of them take their oaths of office. After PiS won the elections and a majority of seats, they nominated a different set of five judges who were immediately sworn in.
This ignited a fierce partisan struggle, as the remaining judges in the Tribunal, most of which had been nominated by PO majorities, ruled out 3 of the 5 PiS nominees, validating instead 3 PO nominees,[4] with the 3 PiS judges sworn in not allowed to hear cases.
As a result, a law was immediately passed by the PiS majority to force the inclusion of its nominees, sparking protests and foreign statements of either hostility or support. As this was not enough, a total of 6 "remedial bills" devised by PiS were enacted in the 2015-2016 period.[4] A two-thirds majority was instated, diluting partisan influence. Finally, the term of resisting President Rzepliński ended and on 21 December 2016, President Andrzej Duda appointed junior member Julia Przyłębska as President of the Constitutional Tribunal.
Since the reform and takeover of the Constitutional Tribunal by the Law and Justice, the independence and sovereignty of the institution has been questioned. It was called a "puppet court" by Polish opposition judges' associations, some foreign judicial organisations and constitutionalist counterparts.[5][6][7][8] In February 2020, former Constitutional Tribunal judges, including former presidents of the tribunal Andrzej Rzepliński, Marek Safjan, Jerzy Stępień, Bohdan Zdziennicki and Andrzej Zoll, stated,
We, the undersigned retired judges of the Constitutional Tribunal, regret to state that the actions of the legislature and the executive since 2015, and the Constitutional Tribunal leadership since 2017, have led to a dramatic decline in the significance and the prestige of this constitutional body, as well as to the inability to perform its constitutional tasks and duties. Unfortunately, the widespread belief that the Constitutional Tribunal has virtually been abolished is correct.
— former Constitutional Tribunal judges, Ruleoflaw.pl[9]
PiS having been reelected to the Sejm in 2019, and the PiS-affiliated Andrzej Duda being reelected as president in 2020, they were able to fill the Court's 15 seats completely by 2021.
On 4 March 2024, following a non-PiS government being elected in October 2023 and formally sworn in on 13 December 2023, a package of measures was announced with the aim of reforming the Tribunal. The measures included a prospective Sejm resolution calling on illegitimately appointed judges to resign voluntarily and branding Julia Przyłębska as not being authorised to be the Tribunal's chief justice (Przyłębska having been sworn in by Duda in December 2016 without the required resolution being issued by the general assembly of Tribunal judges, and being believed by a number of legal experts to have sat completely illegitimately since December 2022[a]), prospective legislation to alter selection procedures (requiring candidates to take part in an open public hearing and to receive the approval of three fifths of MPs) and eligibility (anyone who has been an active politician within the last four years, including even being a member of a political party, would not be eligible to sit on the Tribunal; any politician who did get selected would not be able to rule on cases relating to legislation that they had been involved with within the last ten years), and prospective constitutional changes to allow for the implementation of the measures.[10]
Landmark decisions
[edit]Case K 1/20
[edit]The Tribunal received a referral by 119 MPs on whether or not abortions of pregnancies unrelated to rape or not threatening the mother's life, which they call "eugenic", are constitutional. The signatories argued that the provision violates Constitutional protections of human dignity (Article 30), the right to life (Article 39) or the prohibition against discrimination (Article 32).
On 22 October 2020, an 11–2 ruling[11] declared that abortion in Poland due to foetal abnormality was violating the Constitutional protection of human dignity. This effectively made abortions on that basis unobtainable for women in Poland. The provision had been used for 1074 of the 1110 legal abortions in 2019. The ruling triggered the October 2020 Polish protests, which forced the government to delay the ruling's publication in the Dziennik Ustaw until 27 January 2021.[12]
Case K 3/21
[edit]In July 2021, Prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki asked the Tribunal for a constitutional review of three provisions of Treaty on European Union. Following a series of hearings of prominent officeholders, the Tribunal ruled on 7 October 2021[13] in a 12–2 decision that:
- Article 1 of the Treaty on European Union (establishing an "ever closer union"), insofar as it is interpreted by the European Court of Justice in a "new step" (nowy etap) which
- enlarges the EU institutions' competence beyond the limits that Poland accepted via its treaties,
- opposes the primacy of the Constitution of Poland in both validity and application,
- opposes the sovereignty of the Polish state,
- is unconstitutional;
- Article 19 of the Treaty on European Union (that establishes the ECJ), insofar as it gives ordinary courts the right to disregard the Constitution, and to adjudicate on the basis of provisions repealed by the Sejm or deemed unconstitutional by the TK, is unconstitutional;
- Article 19 and Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union (values) are unconstitutional insofar as they empower ordinary courts to question the constitutionality of judicial appointments by the President.
Consequently, all branches of power in Poland argue that Poland's membership in the European Union does not entail that institutions external to the state have the supreme legal authority.
This was widely interpreted as a challenge of the primacy of European Union law, which emerged in Costa v. ENEL (1964), with some talking of a judicial "Polexit".[14] European primacy, however, had never been fully enshrined by previous Polish rulings, only insofar as it doesn't infringe on Poland's sovereignty (see K 18/04).
This landmark decision marks the culmination of the escalade over judicial nominations and reforms between Brussels and Warsaw that began in late 2015, when Law and Justice came to power, starting with the 2015 Polish Constitutional Court crisis.[14] Many politicians in Brussels called upon the European Commission to freeze payments to Poland. The Commission President said she was deeply concerned, and ordered to act swiftly.[14] The recently-implemented Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation could be used.
Presidents and vice presidents
[edit]Presidents
[edit]| No. | Start and end date | Full name | [b] | Sejm | Term as a Justice | Term length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Presidents | ||||||
| 1. | 1 December 1985 – 1 December 1989 | prof. Alfons Klafkowski | IX (PRL) | 1 December 1985 – 1 December 1989 | 4 years, 0 days | |
| 2. | 1 December 1989 – 19 November 1993[16] | prof. Mieczysław Tyczka | X (PRL) | 1 December 1989 – 17 June 1994 | 4 years, 198 days (resigned) | |
| 3. | 19 November 1993[17] – 1 December 1997 | prof. Andrzej Zoll | X (PRL) | 1 December 1989 – 1 December 1997 | 8 years, 0 days | |
| – | 1 December 1997 – 6 January 1998 | vacant | ||||
| 4. | 6 January 1998[18] – 5 November 2006 | prof. Marek Safjan | III | 5 November 1997 – 5 November 2006 | 9 years, 0 days | |
| 5. | 6 November 2006[19] – 25 June 2008 | Jerzy Stępień | III | 25 June 1999 – 25 June 2008 | 9 years, 0 days | |
| 6. | 26 June 2008[20] – 2 December 2010 | dr Bohdan Zdziennicki | IV | 2 December 2001 – 2 December 2010 | 9 years, 0 days | |
| 7. | 3 December 2010 – 19 December 2016 | prof. Andrzej Rzepliński | VI | 19 December 2007 – 19 December 2016 | 9 years, 0 days | |
| – | 20 December 2016 | Julia Przyłębska[c] | VIII | 9 December 2015 | 8 years, 238 days 303 days over term | |
| 8. | 21 December 2016 - [a] | |||||
Vice Presidents
[edit]| No. | Start and end date | Full name | [b] | Sejm | Term as a Justice | Term length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vice Presidents | ||||||
| 1. | 1 December 1985 – 1 December 1993 | prof. Leonard Łukaszuk | IX (PRL) | 1 December 1985 – 1 December 1993 | 8 years, 0 days | |
| 2. | 1 December 1993 – 1 December 2001 | prof. Janusz Trzciński | II | 1 December 1993 – 1 December 2001 | 8 years, 0 days | |
| 3. | 2 December 2001 – 1 December 2006 | prof. Andrzej Mączyński | III | 1 December 1997 – 1 December 2006 | 9 years, 0 days | |
| 4. | 2 December 2006 – 2 March 2010 | Janusz Niemcewicz[21] | III | 2 March 2001 – 2 March 2010 | 9 years, 0 days | |
| 5. | 3 March 2010 – 2 December 2010 | dr hab. Marek Mazurkiewicz | IV | 2 December 2001 – 2 December 2010 | 9 years, 0 days | |
| 6. | 3 December 2010 – 26 June 2017 | prof. Stanisław Biernat | VI | 26 June 2008 – 26 June 2017 | 9 years, 0 days | |
| – | 27 June – 4 July 2017 | vacated | ||||
| 7. | 5 July 2017 – 5 July 2023 | dr hab. Mariusz Muszyński[c] | VIII | 2 December 2015 | 8 years, 245 days | |
| – | 6 July 2023 | vacated | ||||
Nominated by PiS or its coalition partners | ||||||
Nominated by PO or its coalition partners | ||||||
Nominated by Democratic Left Alliance, Solidarity, or its coalition partners | ||||||
Justices
[edit]Current
[edit]| No. | Full name | [b] | Sejm | Votes | Start date | Term length | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 62. | dr hab. Andrzej Jakubecki | VIII | 272 | - | - | Position usurped by PiS nominee[c] | |
| 63. | Piotr Pszczółkowski[22] | 233 | 3 December 2015 | 8 years, 244 days | |||
| 64. | Julia Przyłębska[23] | 234 | 9 December 2015 | 8 years, 238 days | |||
| 65. | dr hab. Zbigniew Jędrzejewski | 227 | 28 April 2016[24] | 8 years, 97 days | |||
| 66. | dr hab. Michał Warciński[25] | 231 | 20 December 2016 | 7 years, 227 days | |||
| 68. | dr Andrzej Zielonacki[26] | 227 | 28 June 2017[27] | 7 years, 36 days | |||
| 69. | dr hab. Krzysztof Ślebzak | 268 | - | - | Position usurped by PiS nominee[c] | ||
| 70. | dr hab. Roman Hauser | 274 | - | - | Position usurped by PiS nominee[c] | ||
| 71. | dr Wojciech Sych[28] | 228 | 8 April 2019[29] | 5 years, 117 days | |||
| 72. | dr hab. Krystyna Pawłowicz[30] | IX | 230 | 5 December 2019[31] | 4 years, 242 days | ||
| 73. | Stanisław Piotrowicz[32] | 230 | 5 December 2019[31] | 4 years, 242 days | |||
| 74. | prof. Jakub Stelina[33] | 233 | 5 December 2019[31] | 4 years, 242 days | |||
| 75. | dr hab. Rafał Wojciechowski[34] | 239 | 7 January 2020[35] | 4 years, 209 days | |||
| 76. | Bartłomiej Sochański[36] | 234 | 9 April 2020[37] | 4 years, 116 days | |||
| 77. | Bogdan Święczkowski[38] | 233 | 16 February 2022[39] | 2 years, 169 days | |||
Nominated by PiS or its coalition partners | |||||||
Nominated by PO or its coalition partners | |||||||
In the summer and autumn 2015, a change of power occurred with Civic Platform (PO) losing both the Sejm and the Presidency to Law and Justice (PiS). These two branches appoint and swear new judges, respectively.
In 2015, the term of five judges was set to expire, three of which between Sejm election day and the new legislature's session, and two the month after. PO tried to appoint them in advance (they were: Roman Hauser, Krzysztof Ślebzak, Andrzej Jakubecki, Bronisław Sitek and Andrzej Sokala) but their oath was denied by the new PiS President, Andrzej Duda. As a result, they never sat. The new PiS majority nominated three other judges on 2 December 2015 (Henryk Cioch, Lech Morawski, Mariusz Muszyński) and two others the next week (Piotr Pszczółkowski, Julia Przyłębska), who were immediately sworn in. Cioch and Morawski later died while in office, and were replaced by Justyn Piskorski and Jarosław Wyrembak.
Of the appointments made before the election, the Constitutional Tribunal itself invalidated the last two and accepted the first three. As a consequence, of the appointments made after the election, the Tribunal accepted the last two (Piotr Pszczółkowski and Julia Przyłębska) and invalidated the first three (Henryk Cioch, Lech Morawski and Mariusz Muszyński). However, the ruling was disputed by the new government, who then went on to change the statutes regulating the Court, in order to have its nominees sit. See 2015 Polish Constitutional Court crisis.
Multiple cases were sent to the European Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Justice, challenging the Tribunal's legal status. In Xero Flor v Poland, the ECHR ruled on 7 May 2021 that a Polish company did not have the right to a fair trial because Muszyński's election was unlawful.[40] The Constitutional Tribunal is expected to judge on 3 August 2021 whether it will comply to the ruling or not; this is interpreted as a decision on whether the European or Polish courts are sovereign.[41] In a 14 July 2021 ruling, the Tribunal rejected the constitutionality of any attempt by the ECHR to suspend the Polish tribunals, as such competence has never been transferred by any treaty.[42]
Length of tenure
[edit]This graphical timeline depicts the length of each current justice's tenure on the Court:
Former
[edit]
| No. | Full name | [b] | Sejm | Term as a Justice | Term length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | prof. Henryk de Fiumel | IX (PRL) | 1 December 1985 – 17 June 1986 | 198 days (died in office) | |
| 2. | prof. Kazimierz Buchała | 1 December 1985 – 1 December 1989 | 4 years, 0 days | ||
| 3. | prof. Natalia Gajl | 1 December 1985 – 1 December 1989 | 4 years, 0 days | ||
| 4. | dr Adam Józefowicz | 1 December 1985 – 1 December 1989 | 4 years, 0 days | ||
| 5. | dr Andrzej Kabat | 1 December 1985 – 1 December 1989 | 4 years, 0 days | ||
| 6. | prof. Alfons Klafkowski | 1 December 1985 – 1 December 1989 | 4 years, 0 days | ||
| 7. | prof. Stanisław Pawela | 1 December 1985 – 1 December 1989 | 4 years, 0 days | ||
| 8. | dr Czesław Bakalarski | 1 December 1985 – 1 December 1993 | 8 years, 0 days | ||
| 9. | prof. Kazimierz Działocha | 1 December 1985 – 1 December 1993 | 8 years, 0 days | ||
| 10. | prof. Henryk Groszyk | 1 December 1985 – 1 December 1993 | 8 years, 0 days | ||
| 11. | prof. Leonard Łukaszuk | 1 December 1985 – 1 December 1993 | 8 years, 0 days | ||
| 12. | Remigiusz Orzechowski | 1 December 1985 – 13 August 1993 | 7 years, 255 days (died in office) | ||
| 13. | Maria Łabor-Soroka[43] | - | 25 November 1986 – 30 November 1993 | 7 years, 5 days | |
| 14. | Antoni Filcek | X (PRL) | 1 December 1989 – 31 October 1992 | 2 years, 335 days (resigned) | |
| 15. | prof. Mieczysław Tyczka | 1 December 1989 – 17 June 1994 | 4 years, 198 days (resigned) | ||
| 16. | prof. Janina Zakrzewska | 1 December 1989 – 27 May 1995 | 5 years, 177 days (died in office) | ||
| 17. | prof. Tomasz Dybowski | 1 December 1989 – 1 December 1997 | 8 years, 0 days | ||
| 18. | prof. Wojciech Łączkowski | 1 December 1989 – 1 December 1997 | 8 years, 0 days | ||
| 19. | prof. Andrzej Zoll | 1 December 1989 – 1 December 1997 | 8 years, 0 days | ||
| 20. | Ferdynand Rymarz | - | I | 19 February 1993 – 19 February 2001[44] | 8 years, 0 days |
| 21. | dr hab. Błażej Wierzbowski | II | 1 December 1993 – 30 November 1998[45] | 4 years, 364 days (resigned) | |
| 22. | prof. Wojciech Sokolewicz | 1 December 1993 – 31 May 1999[45] | 5 years, 181 days (resigned) | ||
| 23. | prof. Zdzisław Czeszejko-Sochacki | 1 December 1993 – 1 December 2001[45] | 8 years, 0 days | ||
| 24. | prof. Lech Garlicki | 1 December 1993 – 1 December 2001[45] | 8 years, 0 days | ||
| 25. | Stefan Jan Jaworski | 1 December 1993 – 1 December 2001[45] | 8 years, 0 days | ||
| 26. | prof. Janusz Trzciński | 1 December 1993 – 1 December 2001[45] | 8 years, 0 days | ||
| 27. | prof. Krzysztof Kolasiński | - | 27 May 1994 – 27 May 2002[46] | 8 years, 0 days | |
| 28. | Jadwiga Skórzewska-Łosiak | 21 July 1995 – 21 July 2003[47] | 8 years, 0 days | ||
| 29. | prof. Teresa Dębowska-Romanowska | III | 5 November 1997 – 5 November 2006[48] | 9 years, 0 days | |
| 30. | prof. Marek Safjan | 5 November 1997 – 5 November 2006[48] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| 31. | prof. Marian Zdyb | 5 November 1997 – 5 November 2006[48] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| 32. | Wiesław Johann | 1 December 1997 – 1 December 2006[49] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| 33. | prof. Biruta Lewaszkiewicz-Petrykowska | 1 December 1997 – 1 December 2006[49] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| 34. | prof. Andrzej Mączyński | 1 December 1997 – 1 December 2006[49] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| 35. | dr hab. Jerzy Ciemniewski | 18 December 1998 – 18 December 2007[50] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| 36. | Jerzy Stępień | 25 June 1999 – 25 June 2008[51] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| 37. | Janusz Niemcewicz | 2 March 2001 – 2 March 2010[52] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| 38. | prof. Marian Grzybowski | IV | 2 December 2001 – 2 December 2010[53] | 9 years, 0 days | |
| 39. | dr hab. Marek Mazurkiewicz | 2 December 2001 – 2 December 2010[53] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| 40. | dr hab. Mirosław Wyrzykowski | 2 December 2001 – 2 December 2010[53] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| 41. | dr Bohdan Zdziennicki | 2 December 2001 – 2 December 2010[53] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| 42. | prof. Ewa Łętowska | 28 May 2002 – 28 May 2011[54] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| 43. | prof. Adam Jamróz | 22 July 2003 – 22 July 2012[55] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| 44. | dr hab. Maria Gintowt-Jankowicz | V | 6 November 2006 – 6 November 2015[56] | 9 years, 0 days | |
| 45. | Wojciech Hermeliński | 6 November 2006 – 6 November 2015[56] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| 46. | Marek Kotlinowski | 6 November 2006 – 6 November 2015[56] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| 47. | dr hab. Zbigniew Cieślak | 2 December 2006 – 2 December 2015[57] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| 48. | dr hab. Teresa Liszcz[58] | 8 December 2006 – 8 December 2015[59] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| 49. | Lidia Bagińska[60] | 8 December 2006 – 12 March 2007[61] | 94 days (resigned) | ||
| 50. | prof. Mirosław Granat[62] | 27 April 2007 – 27 April 2016[63] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| 51. | prof. Andrzej Rzepliński[64] | VI | 19 December 2007 – 19 December 2016[65] | 9 years, 0 days | |
| 52. | prof. Stanisław Biernat | 26 June 2008 – 26 June 2017[66] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| 53. | prof. Sławomira Wronkowska-Jaśkiewicz[67] | 6 May 2010 – 6 May 2019[68] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| 54. | Stanisław Rymar[69] | 3 December 2010 – 3 December 2019[70] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| 55. | prof. Piotr Tuleja[69] | 3 December 2010 – 3 December 2019[70] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| 56. | prof. Marek Zubik[69] | 3 December 2010 – 3 December 2019[70] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| 57. | prof. Małgorzata Pyziak-Szafnicka[71] | 5 January 2011 – 5 January 2020[72] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| 58. | prof. Andrzej Wróbel | 29 May 2011 – 24 January 2017[73] | 5 years, 240 days (resigned) | ||
| 59. | prof. Leon Kieres | 23 July 2012 – 23 July 2021[74] | 9 years, 0 days | ||
| prof. Roman Hauser | VII | 7 November 2015[75] (never seated) | 8 years, 270 days (election overruled) | ||
| prof. Krzysztof Ślebzak | 7 November 2015[76] (never seated) | 8 years, 270 days (election overruled) | |||
| prof. Andrzej Jakubecki | 7 November 2015[77] (never seated) | 8 years, 270 days (election overruled) | |||
| prof. Bronisław Sitek | (3 December 2015)[78] (never seated) | 0 days (election ruled unconstitutional) | |||
| prof. Andrzej Sokala | (9 December 2015)[79] (never seated) | 0 days (election ruled unconstitutional) | |||
| 60. | prof. Henryk Cioch[80] | VIII | 2 December 2015[81] – 20 December 2017 | 2 years, 18 days (died in office) | |
| 61. | prof. Lech Morawski[80] | 2 December 2015[81] – 12 July 2017 | 1 year, 222 days (died in office) | ||
| 67. | dr hab. Grzegorz Jędrejek[82] | 27 February 2017 – 19 January 2020[83] | 2 years, 326 days (died in office) | ||
| No. | Full name | [d] | Sejm | Term as a Justice | Term length |
See also
[edit]- Judiciary
- Rule of law
- Rule According to Higher Law
- Supreme Court of Poland
- 2015–present Polish constitutional crisis
Notes
[edit]- ^ Jump up to: a b c According to the effective law (the Article 10 §2 of the Act of 30 November 2016 on organisation and mode of proceedings before the Constitutional Tribunal which came in force on 3 January 2017[84] after Przyłębska's appointment as the President) the term of the President of the Constitutional Tribunal lasts 6 years. Therefore Przyłębska's term should have ended on 21 December 2022. Przyłębska and her PiS backers, however, believed her term as President was not actually due to expire until December 2024, since this is when her term as a judge in general expires; as of 6 March 2024, she continued to sit as President of the Tribunal.[85][86][87]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d The colors only represent the majorities that elected each judge, as the Polish Constitution of 1997 mandates that judges shall be independent and shall not belong to any political party (Article 195).[15]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e The 8th Sejm elected prof. Henryk Cioch, Lech Morawski and dr. hab. Mariusz Muszyński, even though prof. Roman Hauser, Krzysztof Ślebzak and Andrzej Jakubecki had been elected by the 7th Sejm in advance. The 3 seats' terms were to end after the 2015 election, but during the recess, leaving room for conflicting interpretation of the constitution. Since the Henryk Cioch and Lech Morawski died during their terms, dr hab. Jarosław Wyrembak and Justyn Piskorski who were elected on their place are also considered disputed.
- ^ The colors only represent the majorities that elected each judge, as the Polish Constitution of 1997 mandates that judges shall be independent and shall not belong to any political party (Article 195).[15]
References
[edit]- ^ Jump up to: a b Dz.U. z 1982 r. nr 11, poz. 83[permanent dead link].
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Skrzydło, Wiesław; Grabowska, Sabina; Grabowski (red.), Radosław (2009). Konstytucja Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej. Komentarz encyklopedyczny. Warsaw: Wolters Kluwer Polska. ISBN 978-83-7601-686-3.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Alberski, Robert (2010). Trybunał Konstytucyjny w polskich systemach politycznych. Wrocław: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego. ISBN 978-83-229-3146-2.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Kryszkiewicz, Małgorzata; Osiecki, Grzegorz (2016). "Twarda linia Prawa i Sprawiedliwości". Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
- ^ "Prezes polskiego TK o słowach prezesa niemieckiego TK: jestem zażenowana". Onet.pl. 13 May 2020. Archived from the original on 13 May 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ prof. Marcin Matczak. "Poland's Constitutional Crisis: Facts and interpretations" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 May 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ Dominika Sitnicka (22 April 2020). "Captured Constitutional Tribunal rules on the Supreme Court: Implementation of CJEU judgment inconsistent with EU law". Rule of Law. Archived from the original on 13 May 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ Tomasz Tadeusz Koncewicz (13 March 2020). "From Constitutional to Political Justice: The Tragic Trajectories of the Polish Constitutional Court". Reconnect EU. Archived from the original on 13 May 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ Biernat, Stanisław; Dębowska–Romanowska, Teresa; et al. (10 February 2020). "'Constitutional Tribunal has virtually been abolished,' announce retired judges". Ruleoflaw.pl. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
- ^ Tilles, Daniel (4 March 2024). "Polish government unveils planned overhaul of "defective" constitutional court". Notes from Poland. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ "Planowanie rodziny, ochrona płodu ludzkiego i warunki dopuszczalności przerywania ciąży". Trybunał Konstytucyjny. 22 October 2020. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ "Poland: The Constitutional Court Repeals Eugenic Abortion". ECLJ. 23 October 2020.
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- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Polexit? Fury in Brussels after Warsaw court rules Polish Constitution overrides EU law". Euronews. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "The Constitution of the Republic of Poland". Sejm.
- ^ W związku ze złożoną rezygnacją, Uchwałą Sejmu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 26 maja 1993 r. w sprawie odwołania Prezesa Trybunału Konstytucyjnego (M.P. Nr 28, poz. 290) odwołany ze stanowiska z chwilą wyboru nowego Prezesa TK.
- ^ W związku z rezygnacją poprzednika w trakcje kadencji, Uchwałą Sejmu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 19 listopada 1993 r. w sprawie wyboru Prezesa Trybunału Konstytucyjnego (M.P. Nr 62, poz. 558) powołany na stanowisko Prezesa TK.
- ^ M.P. z 1998 r. Nr 1, poz. 2
- ^ M.P. z 2006 r. Nr 80, poz. 804
- ^ M.P. z 2008 r. Nr 53, poz. 470
- ^ Nominated by Freedom Union
- ^ M.P. z 2015 r. poz. 1186; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 56
- ^ M.P. z 2015 r. poz. 1185; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 56
- ^ M.P. z 2016 r. poz. 393; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 369
- ^ M.P. z 2016 r. poz. 1206; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 1046
- ^ M.P. z 2017 r. Nr , poz. 610
- ^ prezydent.pl. "Oficjalna strona Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej / Aktualności / Wydarzenia / Prezydent odebrał ślubowanie od sędziego Trybunału Konstytucyjnego". www.prezydent.pl. Archived from the original on 1 July 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- ^ M.P. z 2019 r. Nr , poz. 414
- ^ "Oficjalna strona Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej / Aktualności / Nominacje / Prezydent przyjął ślubowanie od nowego sędziego TK". www.prezydent.pl. Archived from the original on 9 May 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- ^ M.P. z 2019 r. Nr 0, poz. 1132
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Ślubowanie nowych sędziów TK". prezydent.pl. 5 December 2019. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
- ^ M.P. z 2019 r. Nr 0, poz. 1133
- ^ M.P. z 2019 r. Nr 0, poz. 1134
- ^ M.P. z 2019 r. Nr 0, poz. 1197
- ^ "Oficjalna strona Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej / Aktualności / Nominacje / Ślubowanie sędziego Trybunału Konstytucyjnego". www.prezydent.pl. Archived from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
- ^ M.P. z 2020 r. Nr 0, poz. 340
- ^ "Oficjalna strona Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej / Aktualności / Nominacje / Ślubowanie sędziego Trybunału Konstytucyjnego". www.prezydent.pl. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
- ^ M.P. z 2022 r. Nr , poz. 203
- ^ "Ślubowanie sędziego TK" (in Polish). Oficjalna strona Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej. 16 February 2022. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
- ^ "Trybunał w Strasburgu: TK z dublerem nie jest sądem zgodnym z prawem". wyborcza.pl. 7 May 2021.
- ^ Judy Dempsey (4 May 2021). "Poland's Constitution Under Siege". Carnegie Europe. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
- ^ "Obowiązek państwa członkowskiego UE polegający na wykonywaniu środków tymczasowych odnoszących się do kształtu ustroju i funkcjonowania konstytucyjnych organów władzy sądowniczej tego państwa". tribunal.gov.pl (in Polish). 14 July 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ Wybrana w miejsce Henryka de Fiumel.
- ^ M.P. z 1993 r. Nr 10, poz. 67; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 755
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f M.P. z 1993 r. Nr 62, poz. 557; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 89-A
- ^ M.P. z 1994 r. Nr 33, poz. 263; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 393
- ^ M.P. z 1995 r. Nr 37, poz. 440; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 1143
- ^ Jump up to: a b c M.P. z 1997 r. Nr 82, poz. 789; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 11; posiedzenie 1, głosowanie nr 1
- ^ Jump up to: a b c M.P. z 1997 r. Nr 83, poz. 810; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 12; posiedzenie 3, głosowanie nr 2
- ^ M.P. z 1998 r. Nr 46, poz. 646; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 765; posiedzenie 39, głosowanie nr 8
- ^ M.P. z 1999 r. Nr 23, poz. 332; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 1159; posiedzenie 52, głosowanie nr 10
- ^ M.P. z 2001 r. Nr 9, poz. 149; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 2565; posiedzenie nr 102, głosowanie nr 230
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- ^ M.P. z 2002 r. Nr 21, poz. 371; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 435; posiedzenie 22, głosowanie nr 196
- ^ M.P. z 2003 r. Nr 37, poz. 514; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 1709; posiedzenie 52, głosowanie nr 70
- ^ Jump up to: a b c M.P. z 2006 r. Nr 80, poz. 792; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 1025
- ^ M.P. z 2006 r. Nr 84, poz. 842; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 1083
- ^ Złożyła ślubowanie i podjęła obowiązki sędziego 29 grudnia 2006.
- ^ M.P. z 2006 r. Nr 89, poz. 919; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 1157
- ^ Złożyła ślubowanie i podjęła obowiązki sędziego 6 marca 2007.
- ^ M.P. z 2006 r. Nr 89, poz. 918; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 1157
- ^ Złożył ślubowanie i podjął obowiązki sędziego 8 maja 2007.
- ^ M.P. z 2007 r. Nr 29, poz. 320; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 1637
- ^ Złożył ślubowanie i podjął obowiązki sędziego 14 stycznia 2008.
- ^ M.P. z 2008 r. Nr 100, poz. 1079; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 26
- ^ M.P. z 2008 r. Nr 47, poz. 420; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 554
- ^ Złożyła ślubowanie i podjęła obowiązki sędziego 17 maja 2010.
- ^ M.P. z 2010 r. Nr 38, poz. 525; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 2918
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Gazeta Wyborcza, ost. spr.: 27.11.2010.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c M.P. z 2010 r. Nr 93, poz. 1067; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 3573
- ^ Złożyła ślubowanie i podjęła obowiązki sędziego 11 stycznia 2011.
- ^ M.P. z 2011 r. Nr 4, poz. 39; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 3676
- ^ M.P. z 2011 r. Nr 45, poz. 492; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 4144
- ^ M.P. z 2012 r. poz. 506; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 507
- ^ M.P. z 2015 r. poz. 1038; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 3954
- ^ M.P. z 2015 r. poz. 1040; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 3955
- ^ M.P. z 2015 r. poz. 1039; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 3956
- ^ M.P. z 2015 r. poz. 1041; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 3957
- ^ M.P. z 2015 r. poz. 1042; Przebieg procesu legislacyjnego – druk nr 3958
- ^ Jump up to: a b Złożył ślubowanie 3 grudnia 2015, dopuszczony – orzekania 20 grudnia 2016.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Kadencje sędziów – zestawienie
- ^ M.P. z 2017 r. Nr 0, poz. 224
- ^ "Prof. Jędrejek nowym sędzią TK. Prezydent przyjął ślubowanie". 27 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
- ^ Ustawa z dnia 30 listopada 2016 r. o organizacji i trybie postępowania przed Trybunałem Konstytucyjnym [Act of 30 November 2016 on organisation and mode of proceedings before the Constitutional Tribunal], Dz. U., 2016, No. 2072
- ^ "Trybunał Konstytucyjny. Julia Przyłębska odwołała rozprawę. Było za mało sędziów - TVN24". tvn24.pl (in Polish). TVN 24. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- ^ "Ast: Julia Przyłębska jest prezesem Trybunału Konstytucyjnego - RMF 24". rmf24.pl (in Polish). RMF FM. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- ^ Tilles, Daniel (5 January 2023). "Polish constitutional court judges rebel against chief justice, demanding she step down". Notes from Poland. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- Shotter, James; Huber, Evon (13 July 2017). "Poland's ruling party drafts bill to force judges to step down". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
External links
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Media related to Constitutional Tribunal of Poland at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
