A female judge, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, has been at the center of the political and institutional conflict over the Polish Constitutional Tribunal in recent hours, following her decision to temporarily suspend the court’s president, Bogdan Sfienczkowski, and vice president, Bartłomiej Sochanski, from their duties.
On Friday, the judge issued—following a request submitted by Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General Waldemar Zurek—two orders imposing an immediate, one-month suspension of their judicial duties; one of the rulings also covers their responsibilities in the administration of the Constitutional Court.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
SEE ALSO: Crisis in Poland: Police and allegations of a “coup” at the Constitutional Tribunal
In the relevant documents, Korwin-Piotrowska is listed as the judge with the longest judicial tenure, who serves as acting president of the court, while she cited Article 130 of the Polish Law on the Organization of Ordinary Courts in her decision.
The Turbulent Removal and Return
Anna Korwin-Piotrowska was born on November 1, 1969. She studied law at the University of Wrocław and continued her studies in European law and judicial administration at the Warsaw School of Economics.
Her professional career has been primarily associated with the cities of Opole and Kędzierzyn-Koźle. In 1999, she was appointed a judge at the local court in Kędzierzyn-Koźle, and four years later she became its president. In 2012, she became vice president of the Opole Regional Court. She was removed from that position, however, when Zbigniew Ziobro took office as Minister of Justice.
SEE ALSO: Constitutional Crisis in Poland: Navrotski Turned His Plane Around and Entered the Blockaded Constitutional Court
The manner of her removal was contested by the Themis Judges’ Association (the second-largest judges’ association in Poland, which has strongly advocated for the independence of the judiciary and has sharply criticized the reforms and disciplinary proceedings against judges by previous governments), and she herself appealed to the European Court of Human Rights. The case was settled in 2022 through a compromise with the Polish state.
Following the change in government, the new Minister of Justice, Adam Bodnar, appointed her in 2024 to the presidency of the Opole Regional Court for a six-year term.
The controversy surrounding her swearing-in
Korbin-Piotrowska was elected a judge of the Constitutional Tribunal by the Sejm, Poland’s lower house of parliament, on March 13, 2026. However, the country’s president, Karol Nawrocki, refused to allow her to take the oath of office at the Presidential Palace.
She read and signed the text of the oath in the Sejm, in the presence of a notary public, and the document was forwarded to the president’s office. Bogdan Sfienczkowski questioned the validity of this procedure, arguing that her official relationship with the court had not been established.
In the order she issued on October 30, Korbin-Piotrowska accused Sfiendzkowski of preventing elected judges from participating in the work of the Constitutional Court. At the same time, she denounced irregularities in the composition of judicial panels and preferential treatment of politically motivated cases. He also highlighted the risk of funding problems for the court in 2027.
Suspension of duties for staff and remote work for judges
On Saturday, the institutional crisis within Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal escalated as Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, who is serving as acting president of the highest judicial body, issued an emergency reorganization order, suspending staff duties and instructing judges to perform their duties outside the court’s premises.
This decision is directly linked to the events of the previous day, when President Sfietskowski and Vice President Sohanski were placed on mandatory leave.
Emergency Measures and Suspension of Operations
According to the new circular addressed to all staff and the judiciary:
Suspension of staff duties: The physical presence and performance of duties by employees in the Court building are suspended, with the exception of those who receive special notification from Korvin-Piotrowska herself. As clarified, employees retain their full right to their salaries.
Service Restrictions: The operation of the protocol is suspended, while the Court’s Chancellery and Legal Service are limited exclusively to carrying out specific tasks assigned to them directly.
Concentration of powers: All authorizations for employer representation that were in effect until today have been revoked. Any labor-related action or directive concerning the organization and schedule of work is now exercised exclusively by the acting president.
“Increased risk of disruption to public order”
Security concerns were cited as the main reason for removing the judges from the Court’s premises. “‘Due to the increased risk of a disturbance of public order near the Court’s headquarters, I recommend that the judges of the Constitutional Court perform their duties outside the Court’s headquarters,’, the announcement states.
For those who are deemed necessary to enter the building, access will be granted exclusively through specific gates that will be indicated via announcements on the official website.
Police presence and suspension of leadership duties
Tensions had already peaked on Friday, when police forces were deployed outside the Constitutional Court. The authorities’ mobilization followed a written warning from Korvin-Piotrowska regarding a potential threat to the lives and health of staff and judges, as well as a risk of public disorder.
Police forces did not enter the building, clarifying that their goal was to ensure safety and prevent incidents.
Shortly after 6:00 p.m. that same day, it was officially announced that the heads of the Court, Bogdan Sfietskowski and Bartłomiej Sochanski. Korwin-Piotrowska, who took over as head of the court as the most senior judge, based her action legally on Article 130 of the Law on the Organization of Ordinary Courts, opening a new, unpredictable chapter in the country’s protracted institutional standoff.
Source: Proto Thema
