MAIN POINTs
1
On June 11, the Sejm majority (the Sejm being Poland’s lower house of parliament) elected Sławomir Patyra as a judge of the Constitutional Tribunal. He is the author of one of the legal opinions on the basis of which Adam Bodnar, in early 2024, unlawfully deprived National Prosecutor Dariusz Barski of the ability to perform his duties.
2
On June 24, the Regional Court in Warsaw overturned the prosecution’s decision to discontinue the investigation into the assault on the National Prosecutor’s Office and ordered an examination of the role of the legal opinions issued in that matter.
3
Until the matter is clarified, the President of the Republic of Poland should refrain from accepting the oath of office from Sławomir Patyra.
4
June 24 was also to have seen a sitting of the General Assembly of Constitutional Tribunal judges, which was, however, prevented by the entry into the chamber of unauthorized individuals – Krystian Markiewicz and Marcin Dziurda.
On June 11, 2026, the Sejm – by the votes of 235 members, mainly from the current governing coalition – elected Sławomir Patyra, a habilitated doctor of law (dr hab.), as a judge of the Constitutional Tribunal (TK), Poland’s constitutional court. This election raised fewer doubts than the one carried out on March 13 of this year – in particular, there was no unjustified delay in holding the vote and thus no breach of the time limits laid down in the Rules of Procedure of the Sejm. This does not mean, however, that the election took place without any controversy at all – even before it was held, serious reservations about the candidate were being voiced.
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Source of cover photo: Ordo Iuris
