The Sejm has officially appointed new judges to the National Council of the Judiciary (KRS) with a three-fifths majority vote, while Law and Justice (PiS) deputies boycotted the process citing constitutional concerns.
Parliamentary Vote on KRS Composition
In a decisive first round of voting, the Sejm approved the proposed list of members for the National Council of the Judiciary with a three-fifths majority. The selection was supported by 258 deputies from the Civic Coalition, The Left, PSL, Centrum, Poland 2050, as well as Joanna Mucha, Paweł Zalewski, and Tomasz Rzymkowski.
Opposition was voiced by 18 deputies, including members of Confederation, Confederation of the Polish Crown, Tomasz Zimoch, Jarosław Sachajko, and Jan Ardanowski. Deputies from the Law and Justice party followed through on their promise to boycott the proceedings entirely.
Candidate Selection and Commission Adjustments
The final list of candidates was determined by the parliamentary committee, which included 17 total nominations. While the Civic Coalition initially proposed 15 judges supported by the Iustita and Themis associations, the final roster was adjusted to include Łukasz Piebiak and Łukasz Zawadzki to satisfy legal requirements ensuring representation for each parliamentary club.
Beata Donhöffner-Grodzicka and Sławomir Cilulko were removed from the original list to accommodate these additions. The committee approved this revised list with 18 votes in favor and two against.
PiS Protest and Constitutional Controversy
The session was marked by high tension as Law and Justice deputies refused to participate. Deputy Michał Wójcik challenged Marshal Włodzimierz Czarzasty, questioning whether the Sejm had received the Constitutional Tribunal’s interim order, which had explicitly instructed the body to halt the selection process.
Wójcik sharply criticized the ruling coalition, labeling the vote a “farce” and accusing the government of hypocrisy for using legal procedures they previously condemned. The Constitutional Tribunal had issued an interim measure in response to a motion filed by PiS earlier this year, explicitly ordering the Sejm to suspend the election of KRS members.