# Poland’s Court Crisis Reaches Brussels and the Supreme Court: What Happens on November 3?

> MKNIRALO — World — POLAND / CONSTITUTIONAL TRIBUNAL WATCH — PART 2

- Published: 2026-11-01
- Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
- Byline: Vera — European Justice & Civic Institutions Observer
- Byline disclosure: Vera is a house editorial byline maintained by MKNIRALO, not a claim of an independently verified individual. It does not imply legal qualifications, personal field access, interviews or institutional affiliation. Articles distinguish reported decisions, political claims and unsettled legal questions.
- Author profile: https://mkniralo.com/authors/vera/
- Tags: Poland, Constitutional Tribunal, Supreme Court, European Commission, Rule of Law, Judicial Independence, November 3
- Series: [Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal Watch](https://mkniralo.com/series/poland-constitutional-tribunal-watch/)
- Cover image: https://mkniralo.com/images/poland-court-crisis-eu-supreme-court-november-2026.svg

EU officials have weighed in and Poland’s Supreme Court has called a separate extraordinary assembly as entry restrictions deepen the Constitutional Tribunal standoff. Neither institution has resolved the competing claims to lead the Tribunal.

Poland’s battle over the leadership of its Constitutional Tribunal is now testing more than the doors of one court building. On 31 October, the European Commission publicly addressed the dispute over judicial appointments, while Poland’s Supreme Court announced its own extraordinary gathering for 3 November. A new Tribunal notice separately restricted access by two judges whose suspension is contested. These developments deserve a second chapter in the story, but none by itself settles which competing instruction is legally valid.

## What changed after the initial confrontation?

The initial crisis centred on Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska’s announcement that Tribunal president Bogdan Święczkowski and vice-president Bartłomiej Sochański should cease judicial duties immediately, followed by protests and rival instructions about the court’s operations. On 31 October she issued a more detailed notice saying those two judges were not entitled to enter the Tribunal building and that other judges must arrange access in advance.

The restrictions also affected staff and the organisation of work. The document reflects Korwin-Piotrowska’s asserted authority; it is not an independent judicial ruling on whether her suspension orders are lawful. Święczkowski disputes their validity. That distinction matters when interpreting later reports of who could enter the building.

Sources:
- [Korwin-Piotrowska’s new entry restrictions at the Tribunal](https://powiempolsce.pl/articles/article?id=79816&slug=korwin-piotrowska-swieczkowski-i-sochanski-bez-prawa-wstepu-do-tk-pozostali-po-uzgodnieniu) — PAP (republished by Powiem Polsce)
- [New notice setting entry conditions at the Tribunal](https://www.rp.pl/sady-i-trybunaly/art45426621-ktorzy-sedziowie-moga-wejsc-do-tk-nowy-komunikat-anny-korwin-piotrowskiej) — Rzeczpospolita

## Why the European Commission intervened

Commission spokesperson Louise Bogey said Polish authorities must ensure that the Constitutional Tribunal operates consistently with Poland’s constitution and relevant Court of Justice of the EU case law. She said the election of eight Tribunal judges falls within the Sejm’s constitutional competence, referring to an October opinion of the Venice Commission.

Bogey also cited interim measures from the European Court of Human Rights concerning judges elected in March 2026. The Strasbourg court’s May statement addressed obstacles to those appointees taking up their posts. This does not amount to a new EU ruling that every action taken by either side in the current leadership dispute is lawful.

Sources:
- [European Commission: Polish parliament has right to appoint judges](https://www.euronews.com/2026/11/01/eu-commission-polish-parliament-has-right-to-appoint-judges-to-the-constitutional-court) — Euronews
- [European Commission spokesperson on Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal](https://powiempolsce.pl/articles/article?id=79812&slug=ke-dla-pap-do-polskich-wladz-nalezy-zapewnienie-aby-tk-mogl-funkcjonowac-zgodnie-z-konstytucja) — PAP (republished by Powiem Polsce)
- [Interim measure granted concerning Poland, Dziurda and Others](https://www.echr.coe.int/w/interim-measure-granted-concerning-poland) — European Court of Human Rights

## Two separate meetings are scheduled for November 3

The Supreme Court’s First President, Zbigniew Kapiński, called an extraordinary General Assembly of Supreme Court judges for Tuesday 3 November at 14:00 in the Supreme Court building. Its published agenda concerns threats to the constitutional order, judicial independence and the functioning of constitutional state institutions, with a resolution contemplated.

A different assembly of Constitutional Tribunal judges had already been scheduled on the same date to consider the Tribunal’s draft 2027 budget. The bodies, participants and agendas are distinct. Neither meeting has happened as of this article’s 1 November information cut-off, and neither possible outcome should be assumed in advance.

Sources:
- [Supreme Court calls an extraordinary General Assembly for 3 November](https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/sad-najwyzszy-zwoluje-nadzwyczajne-zgromadzenie-jest-zarzadzenie-7346086369520064a) — Wirtualna Polska
- [Supreme Court meeting and distinct Constitutional Tribunal assembly](https://radiokielce.pl/1453808/i-prezes-sn-zwolal-nadzwyczajne-zgromadzenie/) — Radio Kielce

## How the prime minister and president frame the standoff

In a 31 October televised address, Prime Minister Donald Tusk defended his government’s rule-of-law programme and argued that peace must not mean accepting what he regards as lawlessness or intimidation. The government’s account attributes responsibility for the crisis to earlier political and judicial decisions.

President Karol Nawrocki has criticised the change in Tribunal leadership as a forced takeover. That is his political and constitutional claim, not a verdict established by a competent court. The disagreement shows why readers should distinguish statements by elected leaders from decisions with settled legal force.

Sources:
- [Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s address on the Constitutional Tribunal](https://redakcja.www.gov.pl/web/premier/oredzie-premiera-donalda-tuska2) — Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland
- [Polish PM vows support for tribunal amid court crisis](https://www.reuters.com/world/polands-president-accuses-tusk-forced-takeover-countrys-top-court-2026-10-31/) — Reuters

## What the new access instructions actually establish

The new notice establishes what Korwin-Piotrowska has instructed staff and judges to do and what conditions she says will govern entry. It does not establish that Święczkowski accepted those instructions, that a final tribunal judgment has resolved the leadership issue, or that the court is permanently closed.

Similarly, an extraordinary Supreme Court assembly can take a position on constitutional concerns without necessarily resolving separate pending questions about judicial immunity, personnel decisions or the validity of competing administrative orders. Formal resolutions and their precise legal scope must be read once issued.

Sources:
- [Korwin-Piotrowska’s new entry restrictions at the Tribunal](https://powiempolsce.pl/articles/article?id=79816&slug=korwin-piotrowska-swieczkowski-i-sochanski-bez-prawa-wstepu-do-tk-pozostali-po-uzgodnieniu) — PAP (republished by Powiem Polsce)
- [New notice setting entry conditions at the Tribunal](https://www.rp.pl/sady-i-trybunaly/art45426621-ktorzy-sedziowie-moga-wejsc-do-tk-nowy-komunikat-anny-korwin-piotrowskiej) — Rzeczpospolita
- [Supreme Court calls an extraordinary General Assembly for 3 November](https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/sad-najwyzszy-zwoluje-nadzwyczajne-zgromadzenie-jest-zarzadzenie-7346086369520064a) — Wirtualna Polska

## What a useful next update must verify

On 3 November, the first test is factual: did the Constitutional Tribunal’s budget-related assembly take place, who attended and what was recorded? Separately, did the Supreme Court’s extraordinary meeting occur at its announced time, and did it adopt a resolution? Claims about the two events should not be combined.

Beyond those dates, reporters should track official decisions on judicial access, any proceedings concerning immunity, and any further statements from the Commission or European courts. This second installment adds external institutional reactions to the original explainer; it does not declare the political or legal conflict over.

Sources:
- [European Commission: Polish parliament has right to appoint judges](https://www.euronews.com/2026/11/01/eu-commission-polish-parliament-has-right-to-appoint-judges-to-the-constitutional-court) — Euronews
- [Supreme Court calls an extraordinary General Assembly for 3 November](https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/sad-najwyzszy-zwoluje-nadzwyczajne-zgromadzenie-jest-zarzadzenie-7346086369520064a) — Wirtualna Polska
- [Supreme Court meeting and distinct Constitutional Tribunal assembly](https://radiokielce.pl/1453808/i-prezes-sn-zwolal-nadzwyczajne-zgromadzenie/) — Radio Kielce

## About this article

This article reflects the public sources available on the publication and update dates shown above. For developing stories, follow the linked source pages for subsequent statements or decisions.

## Sources and further reading

- [European Commission: Polish parliament has right to appoint judges](https://www.euronews.com/2026/11/01/eu-commission-polish-parliament-has-right-to-appoint-judges-to-the-constitutional-court) — Euronews (published 2026-11-01) (accessed 2026-11-01)
- [European Commission spokesperson on Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal](https://powiempolsce.pl/articles/article?id=79812&slug=ke-dla-pap-do-polskich-wladz-nalezy-zapewnienie-aby-tk-mogl-funkcjonowac-zgodnie-z-konstytucja) — PAP (republished by Powiem Polsce) (published 2026-10-31) (accessed 2026-11-01)
- [Korwin-Piotrowska’s new entry restrictions at the Tribunal](https://powiempolsce.pl/articles/article?id=79816&slug=korwin-piotrowska-swieczkowski-i-sochanski-bez-prawa-wstepu-do-tk-pozostali-po-uzgodnieniu) — PAP (republished by Powiem Polsce) (published 2026-10-31) (accessed 2026-11-01)
- [New notice setting entry conditions at the Tribunal](https://www.rp.pl/sady-i-trybunaly/art45426621-ktorzy-sedziowie-moga-wejsc-do-tk-nowy-komunikat-anny-korwin-piotrowskiej) — Rzeczpospolita (published 2026-10-31) (accessed 2026-11-01)
- [Interim measure granted concerning Poland, Dziurda and Others](https://www.echr.coe.int/w/interim-measure-granted-concerning-poland) — European Court of Human Rights (published 2026-05-06) (accessed 2026-11-01)
- [Supreme Court calls an extraordinary General Assembly for 3 November](https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/sad-najwyzszy-zwoluje-nadzwyczajne-zgromadzenie-jest-zarzadzenie-7346086369520064a) — Wirtualna Polska (published 2026-10-31) (accessed 2026-11-01)
- [Supreme Court meeting and distinct Constitutional Tribunal assembly](https://radiokielce.pl/1453808/i-prezes-sn-zwolal-nadzwyczajne-zgromadzenie/) — Radio Kielce (published 2026-10-31) (accessed 2026-11-01)
- [Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s address on the Constitutional Tribunal](https://redakcja.www.gov.pl/web/premier/oredzie-premiera-donalda-tuska2) — Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland (published 2026-10-31) (accessed 2026-11-01)
- [Polish PM vows support for tribunal amid court crisis](https://www.reuters.com/world/polands-president-accuses-tusk-forced-takeover-countrys-top-court-2026-10-31/) — Reuters (published 2026-10-31) (accessed 2026-11-01)