Poland's Constitutional Tribunal crisis deepens as police block judges and suspend president

Poland's constitutional crisis escalated Friday when riot police blocked access to the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw, and Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek suspended its president, Bogdan Swieczkowski, while seeking to lift his immunity. The conflict stems from 2015 appointments of politically affiliated judges by the nationalist PiS party, which the EU and Prime Minister Donald Tusk deem illegitimate. Tusk, in power since 2023, has vowed to resolve the issue but faces resistance from President Karol Nawrocki, who supports the current judges. The tribunal denounced a "coup d'état," and Nawrocki, backed by PiS supporters, demanded police withdrawal and called an emergency party meeting. The crisis unfolds during legislative election campaigning, with the US ambassador urging restraint amid concerns over Poland's stability as a key Ukraine ally.