Poland in Constitutional Crisis: Dismissal of Constitutional Court Chief and Clashes at Courthouse

Poland's Constitutional Court announced, via its official website at 18:00 local time, the dismissal of its chief Bogdan Szwajcowski and his deputy Bartlomiej Suchanski. Following the statement's release, Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, as the highest-ranking judge, assumed leadership of the court.

Outside the courthouse building in Warsaw, a number of opposition Law and Justice party leaders gathered, including party chairman Jaroslaw Kaczynski, former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, and former Constitutional Court chief Julia Przylebska, while police established a cordon around the building. Three people were arrested after some protesters scaled the fence and others threw projectiles at police officers.

President Karol Nawrocki announced via X that he was cutting short his trip to Senegal in response to the unfolding events, stating: "The president must be in Poland at such a moment. I am cutting short my trip to Senegal. I am returning." His plane passed over Spain on the way back, and flight tracking site Flightradar24 registered more than one million followers tracking the return flight. Before heading to the courthouse, Nawrocki met Szwajcowski and Supreme Court First President Zbigniew Kaminski at the presidential palace. When Nawrocki reached the courthouse building and attempted to enter, a physical confrontation occurred between him and court judges, with both sides trading accusations before he later left the scene.

In contrast, Prime Minister Donald Tusk defended his government's action via X, stating: "Restoring the rule of law is our duty. It is sometimes a difficult and painful path, and it requires decisive steps. There is no other way." The U.S. Ambassador to Warsaw, Tom Niles, called for restraint, warning that political tensions could turn into violence, and stressed that Poland draws its strength from its people, institutions, and commitment to the rule of law.

Meanwhile, both Poland's ambassador to Beijing, Jakub Kumoch, and its ambassador to Bucharest, Pawel Solek, announced their resignations in protest of the events.