Poland's constitutional court crisis: Judicial independence clash deepens

Police deployed outside Poland's Constitutional Tribunal as a dispute over judicial appointments escalated between Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government and the nationalist opposition. Hundreds protested Friday after judges suspended the tribunal's president and deputy. The crisis stems from 2015 appointments and PiS-era judicial changes critics say politicized courts. Tusk's government refuses to recognize the tribunal's legitimacy, while the EU's highest court ruled in December 2025 it wasn't independent. President Nawrocki, a PiS ally, returned early from Senegal to intervene. Legal questions surround the suspensions' authority, with a judges' meeting scheduled for November 3. Analysts warn the confrontation could set a damaging precedent for future governments.