Poland’s crisis over control of the Constitutional Court became one of the country’s deepest political crises in years on the night of October 30–31. Police surrounded the court building in Warsaw, while its suspended president tried to cut through the iron gate to enter, and President Karol Nawrocki cut short his visit to Senegal and headed to the court at midnight.
On Saturday, Nawrocki said that “a violation of the constitutional order in the Republic of Poland has occurred, and a constitutional body of the state has been seized by force,” calling for urgent consultations with representatives of parliamentary forces.
How did the crisis begin?
The crisis began with a decision by Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, whom parliament elected in 2026 and whom President Nawrocki refused to swear in. She suspended Constitutional Court President Bogdan Święczkowski and his deputy Bartłomiej Sochański for one month, took temporary control of the court and called the police, citing a threat to the judges’ safety.
The court’s previous leadership rejected the decision, saying its website had been illegally seized and describing what happened as a “coup.”
Locksmith at the gate
Police surrounded the building and its vicinity, while Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government continued sending security reinforcements throughout the night. Police said their officers did not enter the building itself.
Suspended court president Święczkowski, assisted by a locksmith, tried to cut through the court’s iron gate so he could enter the building surrounded by police.
Opposition supporters gathered outside the court then smashed the gate the locksmith had been trying to cut through and entered the building’s grounds.
Police said their officers entered the court grounds after some protesters crossed the fence and threw dangerous objects at them, adding that three people had been detained.
Protesters continued gathering around the court throughout the night, joined by Jarosław Kaczyński, leader of the opposition Law and Justice party.
The president turns his plane around
After cutting short his trip to Senegal and returning to the country, Nawrocki said: “At a moment like this, the president should be in Poland.” After returning to Warsaw, he held an emergency meeting at the presidential palace and met with Supreme Court First President Zbigniew Kapiński.
At around 1 a.m., Nawrocki arrived at the Constitutional Court, where protesters greeted him with applause.
After a confrontation at the door, the president entered the building. Korwin-Piotrowska told him, “We are judges of the Constitutional Court,” to which Nawrocki replied, “You are not judges of the Constitutional Court,” according to footage recorded inside the building.
Nawrocki remained at the court until around 5 a.m., demanded that police leave its grounds and facilitated Sochański’s entry, considering him the court’s legitimate deputy president.
Tusk: There is no other way
Prime Minister Donald Tusk defended the move, saying: “Restoring the rule of law is our duty. The process may sometimes be painful, but there is no other way.”
Justice Minister and Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek criticized Nawrocki’s conduct inside the court and called on prosecutors to investigate the incident. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said the elected majority had been prevented from working and that action had been necessary to restore the court to operation.
Opposition speaks of a coup
The opposition described what happened as an attempted coup. Kaczyński said Poland was becoming a police state, while former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro called for “loud, determined, united and courageous resistance.”
The roots of the crisis lie in a dispute between Tusk’s pro-European government, which does not recognize the court’s rulings because of judges appointed under the Law and Justice party, and President Nawrocki, who does not recognize the judges elected by parliament in 2026. Attention is now focused on the outcome of the urgent consultations called by the president.
Latest developments: security cordon remains
On Saturday, Nawrocki renewed his call to “restore the legal order” and demanded that forces sent by the government leave the court building. Police nevertheless continued to maintain a cordon around the Constitutional Court, while no results had yet been announced from the urgent consultations the president called with the parties.
Demonstrations in support of Nawrocki
According to Anadolu Agency, those gathered outside the court on the night of October 30 included Law and Justice leader Jarosław Kaczyński, former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and former Constitutional Court President Julia Przyłębska. Nawrocki announced that his plane bound for Senegal had returned to Poland via Spain.
On October 31, demonstrations in support of Nawrocki took place in Warsaw, while police closed the entrance to the court building with chains. Nawrocki said the country’s internal security was under threat, noting that Supreme Court First President Zbigniew Kapiński also considered the actions of those who had seized the court unlawful.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, by contrast, said the issue concerned restoring the legal order to an institution that had been politicized under the previous government. He explained that parliament had elected a new majority of judges over the past three years and that the court president had prevented them from working. “The democratically elected government will continue to protect the Constitution,” he said.
