In brief

• Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska said she ordered an immediate break in the duties of the Tribunal's acting president and vice-president.
• A general assembly of judges is planned for 3 November to adopt the 2027 budget.
• Judge Maciej Berek said 48 cases from one judge's docket have been pending for over five years.
• A disciplinary court is to decide whether the two officials are suspended.

Order against Tribunal leadership

Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska said she issued an order for an immediate break in the duties of Bogdan Święczkowski, acting president of the Constitutional Tribunal, and of Vice-President Bartłomiej Sochański (Korwin-Piotrowska o decyzji ws. prezesa TK. "Nikt nie stoi ponad prawem" – Dziennik.pl) (Awantura o Trybunał. Wyjaśniamy, kim jest Anna Korwin-Piotrowska – Business Insider Polska). She said the order rests on the Tribunal Act. Because she has the longest service on the bench, she has taken over management of the court, according to the Tribunal's notice on its website (Nowi sędziowie przejmują TK. Wiemy, czym zajmą się w pierwszej kolejności – Onet) (Sędzia Korwin-Piotrowska o sytuacji wokół TK. Pierwszy komentarz – wydarzenia.interia.pl).

The prosecutor general has asked to lift the immunities of judges. A disciplinary court will decide whether the two officials are suspended (Anna Korwin-Piotrowska wyjaśnia, co dalej z władzami TK. Decyzję podejmie sąd dyscyplinarny – Rzeczpospolita).

Budget and general assembly

The judges plan to hold a general assembly of Tribunal judges on Tuesday, 3 November, to adopt the court's budget for 2027. The government did not allocate funds for the Tribunal next year because the budget has not been passed. Korwin-Piotrowska urged the president and politicians not to escalate the dispute. She said the Tribunal has practically not functioned for many years.

Case backlog

Judge Maciej Berek said on X that 48 cases assigned to one Tribunal judge have been pending for more than five years. Some reached the court more than a decade ago (Berek o tym, "jak Trybunał Konstytucyjny wykonywał przez ostatnie lata swoje zadania". Pokazał dane – TVN24). He published case references to support the figures.

Political exchange

Lawyer Bartosz Lewandowski answered Berek with questions about vacant judicial posts, the Tribunal's financing and the publication of its rulings. The exchange continued on social media (Ostre starcie Berka i mec. Lewandowskiego. Poszło o TK – Tysol.pl).