Poland's Constitutional Court crisis deepens as police block suspended tribunal president

Poland is facing a severe institutional crisis after judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska suspended Constitutional Tribunal President Bogdan Swieczkowski and his deputy, escalating a long-running conflict over judicial appointments between the right-wing presidency and the pro-European government. Police blocked Swieczkowski from entering the Tribunal building in Warsaw on Friday, triggering protests from supporters of the nationalist PiS party. The dispute centers on President Karol Nawrocki's refusal to accept the oath of five new judges elected by parliament, which the government considers a valid alternative procedure. The crisis stems from years of tension over judicial independence since PiS reforms began in 2015, which led to EU sanctions in 2021. The disciplinary court must now decide within a month whether to confirm the suspensions, while Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek has requested immunity be lifted from both suspended judges.