The Sejm elected 15 new judges to the National Council of the Judiciary (KRS) on Friday, with 235 votes in favor, while the PiS party boycotted the process citing potential legal consequences.
The Selection Process and Controversy
On Friday, the Sejm voted to appoint 15 judges to the National Council of the Judiciary. The motion passed with 235 votes in favor, 18 against, and 155 abstentions. Prior to the vote, MP Michał Wójcik questioned Deputy Speaker Włodzimierz Czarzasty regarding a Constitutional Court (TK) injunction that had ordered the suspension of the selection process.
The final list of elected judges includes Karolina Bąk-Lasota, Wojciech Buchajczuk, Monika Sonia Frąckowiak, Edyta Jefimko, Magdalena Kierszka, Agnieszka Kobylinska-Bortkiewicz, Jarosław Adam Łuczaj, Ewa Mierzejewska, Łukasz Piebiak, Bartłomiej Starosta, Aleksandra Wrzesińska-Nowacka, Łukasz Zawadzki, Dariusz Zawistowski, Katarzyna Anna Zawiślak, and Ewa Żołnierczuk-Dec.
PiS Opposition and Allegations of Illegality
Law and Justice (PiS) refused to participate in the vote, labeling the proceedings as unlawful. MP Michał Wójcik warned that the process could carry serious criminal implications. He further accused the ruling coalition of hypocrisy, noting that they are utilizing the same legal framework they had previously criticized across Europe for years.
Constitutional Court Injunctions and Legislative Deadlock
The Constitutional Court issued a preliminary injunction on Tuesday ordering the Sejm to halt the election of KRS members, following a motion filed by PiS in February. Despite this, the Sejm proceeded with the vote. Because the Sejm does not have the mechanism to vote on individual candidates, it must vote on a single aggregate list.
Maciej Tomczykiewicz of the Civic Coalition (KO) dismissed the opposition’s complaints as a provocation, specifically criticizing the inclusion of Łukasz Piebiak, a former deputy minister of justice under Zbigniew Ziobro, on the list. The final list included candidates from the ruling coalition, PiS, and Confederation, though some candidates were excluded due to the structure of the parliamentary proposal process.
