Polish judge: Rule of law debate is fight for lost influence

Maria Szczepaniec, president of the Supreme Court's Chamber of Professional Responsibility, contends that the ongoing debate surrounding the rule of law in Poland is fundamentally a contest over diminished power. She asserts that the conflict is not about legal principles but about a specific group's desire to regain lost influence.

According to Szczepaniec, for many years, a select circle of judges held significant sway, dictating who received promotions and judicial nominations. This concentration of power created an exclusive system that benefited a narrow segment of the judiciary, shaping career paths and judicial outcomes.

Szczepaniec highlighted that the judicial reforms enacted in 2017 served to disrupt this established, closed-off arrangement. She suggests that the changes implemented aimed to break the monopoly previously held by this small group, thereby altering the dynamics of judicial appointments and potentially broadening access to the system.

“

For years, a narrow group of judges decided who would receive promotion or judicial nomination. The 2017 reform violated this closed system.