Poland’s judicial council was scheduled on August 27 to consider candidates for vacancies in the Supreme Court after several dozen positions became available since controversial reforms came into effect. The new rules force judges aged 65 and over, including the chief justice, into retirement.
Also on August 27, the European Court of Justice was to start considering questions from some of the Polish Supreme Court’s judges.
As reported by Radio Poland online, they previously asked whether the reforms could affect the independence of the court and its judges and if the new laws break the European Union’s anti-age-discrimination rules.
The European court’s decision could result in the Polish reform being “suspended”, according to those Supreme Court judges.
Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Gowin, however, told some Polish media that the government would ignore a European Court of Justice decision if it were to render the Polish reforms ineffective.
Poland’s Supreme Court reforms, introduced earlier this year, have been slammed domestically and abroad.
