Jarosław Matras: I am not proud of the choice of the First President of the Supreme Court

Judge Jarosław Matras of the Supreme Court's Criminal Chamber has voiced strong disapproval of President Andrzej Duda's appointment of Zbigniew Kapiński as the First President of the Supreme Court. Matras stated he is "not proud" of this choice, asserting that Kapiński's selection, along with other potential candidates, represents a "very bad candidacy" that will not alter the Supreme Court's operations.

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The choice of Judge Kapiński will not change anything in the functioning of the Supreme Court in my opinion.

Matras specifically criticized Kapiński's role in creating a supposed jurisdictional dispute between the chambers of Labor and Extraordinary Control and Public Affairs regarding cases involving Wąsik and Kamiński. According to Matras, Kapiński improperly declared a conflict, exceeding his authority by transferring these cases to the Chamber of Extraordinary Control. He argued that Kapiński knew he lacked the power to make such a decision under the Supreme Court Act.

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In my opinion, it is a very bad candidacy, but they were all bad.

Further elaborating on his concerns, Matras accused Kapiński of obstructing cassation proceedings within the Criminal Chamber by delaying necessary orders for months. He also pointed to Kapiński's alleged violation of the Supreme Court Act by directing requests for the exclusion of "neo-judges" to the Chamber of Control, rather than handling them within the Criminal Chamber. Matras concluded that Kapiński's actions, including a recent order blocking parties from requesting judge recusal due to flawed appointments, demonstrate a clear effort to protect the status of judges who were improperly appointed.

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I cannot have any reason to be proud of such a choice, quite the opposite.