Top court leaders suspended, riot police out and 'coup' charges: What is happening in Poland right now?

Poland's Constitutional Tribunal is in turmoil after its president and deputy were declared suspended for a month, a move the court itself rejects. The dispute has drawn riot police to the court's headquarters in Warsaw and prompted President Karol Nawrocki to cut short an official trip to Senegal and return to the capital. 

The trouble began on Friday after a judge announced that the court’s president and his deputy would be suspended for a month, a decision rejected by the court's existing leadership and the opposition.

Court president and deputy suspended

The dispute started after a notice appeared on the court's website at around 6 pm on October 30. It said Bogdan Swieczkowski, the court's president, and his deputy, Bartlomiej Sochanski had been removed from their posts for one month.

Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, a judge chosen by the current parliament, said she had issued the order and would run the court because she had served as a judge for the longest time. She accused the two men of stopping newly elected judges from doing their work and of not following the court's rules.

The court, however, rejected the announcement through its official account on X. It said its website had been taken over without permission and insisted that both Swieczkowski and Sochanski were still in office. It also questioned Korwin-Piotrowska’s status as a judge.

Nastąpiło bezprawne przejęcie strony internetowej Trybunału Konstytucyjnego. Prezesem @TK_GOV_PL jest nadal Bogdan Święczkowski, a Wiceprezesem Bartłomiej Sochański. Pani Anna Korwin-Piotrowska nie jest sędzią Trybunału Konstytucyjnego. Wszystkie osoby uczestniczące w niniejszych działaniach popełniają przestępstwo zamachu stanu.

— Trybunał Konstytucyjny (@TK_GOV_PL) October 30, 2026

Three arrested outside Warsaw court

As news of the suspension spread, hundreds of protesters, including supporters of the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, gathered outside the court. Many blamed Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government for the crisis, while police surrounded the building to maintain order.

Warsaw police said they detained three people after they climbed over a fence and entered the court premises. Officers also said projectiles were thrown at them. Police added that their personnel were stationed outside the building and had not entered the court.

President returns from Senegal trip

President Nawrocki, who was traveling to Senegal on an official visit, ordered his flight to return to Warsaw as soon as news of the incident reached him. After returning to the capital, he reached the court in the early hours of Saturday and entered the building amid a heavy police presence and a crowd of protesters.

In a statement issued on October 31, the president accused the government of breaking Poland's constitutional rules. He demanded that security personnel leave the court premises and said he would hold urgent talks with leaders of different political parties.

Prime Minister Tusk, however, defended the government's action. He said tough decisions were needed to restore the rule of law after the previous PiS government. Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek also sought permission to remove legal protection from Swieczkowski and Sochanski, a step that could allow legal action against them for allegedly blocking the court's work.

Why the court dispute matters

The row is linked to judicial appointments made after PiS came to power in 2015. The European Union and critics of the previous government said changes made to the courts had weakened their independence. Tusk's government, which came to power in 2023, promised to undo those changes.

Nawrocki, who became president in 2025, has opposed parts of that plan and has refused to swear in several judges chosen by the current parliament. Swieczkowski has also refused to allow some of the new judges to join the court, deepening the standoff.