Following the Sejm’s election of fifteen new judicial members to the National Council of the Judiciary (KRS) in May, the First President of the Supreme Court has officially called for the election of a new chairperson.
New Composition of the Council
In mid-May, the Sejm appointed 15 new judge-members to the KRS. Thirteen of these were selected based on support from judicial assemblies and nominations by coalitions, including the associations Iustitia and Themis. The new appointees include Karolina Bąk-Lasota, Wojciech Buchajczuk, Monika Frąckowiak, Edyta Jefimko, Magdalena Kierszka, Agnieszka Kobylińska-Bortkiewicz, Jarosław Łuczaj, Ewa Mierzejewska, Bartłomiej Starosta, Aleksandra Wrzesińska-Nowacka, Dariusz Zawistowski, Katarzyna Zawiślak, and Ewa Żołnierczuk-Dec.
The council also includes Łukasz Piebiak, a former deputy justice minister, and Łukasz Zawadzki, both associated with the Lawyers for Poland association. These two members have stated their intent to monitor the majority faction within the council.
Procedural Mandate and Resignation
The First President of the Supreme Court is legally required to convene the first meeting of the council within 30 days of the previous chair’s resignation. Dagmara Pawełczyk-Woicka resigned on May 15, asserting that the selection of new members violated the law and constitutional court rulings. She had argued the meeting should have been held with the previous composition.
Judge Dariusz Zawistowski countered these claims, noting that the selection process followed qualified majority rules that were not subject to the constitutional court’s challenges. He emphasized the new members’ commitment to transparency and accessible proceedings for both judges and citizens.
Council Structure and Oversight
The KRS is composed of 15 judge-members, the Minister of Justice, the First President of the Supreme Court, the President of the Supreme Administrative Court, a presidential representative, and several parliamentary members. Former Minister of Justice Waldemar Żurek noted that the selection process was previously vetted and accepted by the Venice Commission.