Polish president vetoes key judicial reform bill, citing constitutional concerns

WARSAW

Polish President Karol Nawrocki vetoed a key government-backed bill Thursday reforming the National Council of the Judiciary (KRS), dealing a blow to the ruling coalition’s efforts to overhaul Poland’s justice system after years of rule-of-law disputes with the European Union.

Nawrocki rejected the bill on the grounds that it would undermine judicial stability and open the door to political interference in the courts.

“I cannot sign a law which, under the slogan of restoring the rule of law, in fact introduces a new stage of chaos and opens the way to political influence over judges,” he said.

He argued that the legislation would lead to the “segregation of judges” and violate the constitution.

The veto highlights the ongoing institutional standoff between Poland’s president and Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s pro-EU government, which has pledged to restore judicial independence and unlock EU funds frozen over rule-of-law concerns.

The veto had been widely expected, as the president has regularly criticized the justice reforms pursued by the governing coalition and Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek, whom he recently described as a “legal terrorist” in a television interview.

The vetoed bill was designed to change the composition and functioning of the KRS, the body responsible for nominating judges.

The government argues that reform is necessary to reverse changes introduced under the previous Law and Justice (PiS) party government, which critics say politicized the judiciary and weakened its independence.

Nawrocki rejected that reasoning, insisting that judges appointed under previous rules cannot be divided into categories such as “new” or “old” judges.

“In the Polish legal order, there are no ‘neo’ or ‘paleo’ judges,” he said, adding that questioning their status could cast doubt over millions of court rulings.

He also stressed that appointing judges is an exclusive constitutional prerogative of the president and cannot be reviewed by the government or justice minister.

Under Poland’s constitution, parliament can override a presidential veto only with a three-fifths majority, which the governing coalition currently lacks.