President Nawrocki to Swear In New Constitutional Tribunal Judge

President Nawrocki is expected to preside over the swearing-in ceremony for Sławomir Patyra in the coming days, following the Sejm’s recent election of the legal scholar to the Constitutional Tribunal.

The Parliamentary Election

On June 11, the Sejm elected Sławomir Patyra as a judge of the Constitutional Tribunal. His candidacy, supported by KO, PSL-TD, the Left, and the Centre, received 235 votes from the 424 deputies present, with 184 votes against and five abstentions. He replaces Andrzej Zielonacki, whose term expires on June 28.

Presidential Consideration and Precedent

Jarosław Kaczyński, leader of PiS, expressed skepticism regarding Patyra’s nomination, suggesting the President has a right to deliberate on the matter. Kaczyński indicated that the President might mirror his previous approach, where he swore in only two of the six judges elected by the Sejm in March.

Path to the Oath

Although the President was expected to make a final decision on June 23, unofficial reports suggest the ceremony will occur at the Presidential Palace in the near future with full protocol. Sławomir Patyra, a habilitated doctor and constitutional law expert, has served as a faculty member at the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin since 1994 and is a practicing legal advisor.

Ongoing Disputes Over Tribunal Composition

The appointment remains part of a broader conflict regarding the Tribunal’s legitimacy. Since the March election of six new judges, the President has accepted the oaths of only two, citing procedural errors in the Sejm. This has led to a protracted legal impasse, with the four other elected judges appealing to the European Court of Human Rights and the government maintaining conflicting stances on their status.