Polish Senate rejects Supreme Court judge candidates over formal errors

The Polish Senate has rejected candidates for Supreme Court lay judge positions put forward by the "Lawyers for Poland" association. The rejection stems from formal deficiencies in the submitted applications, most notably the absence of required photographs, which violated provisions of the Law on the System of Common Courts and the law on the Supreme Court. The Senate's human rights and rule of law committee identified these issues during its review.

The Senate initiated the selection process for 30 lay judges who will serve a four-year term from January 1, 2027, to December 31, 2030. Candidates can be nominated by associations, social and professional organizations, or by at least 100 citizens with active voting rights. The deadline for submitting candidacies for this term was June 30.

Among the 56 candidates initially proposed, the "Lawyers for Poland" association put forward nine. The Committee for the Defence of Democracy nominated 28 candidates, while citizen groups submitted seven. The Senate's committee reviewed all submissions, determining that 43 met the formal requirements. Thirteen submissions, including nine from "Lawyers for Poland" and three others with documentation gaps, were dismissed. One submission arrived after the deadline.

Following this review, the Senate's Marshal will request information from the Police Chief Commander on the eligible candidates. This information will then be forwarded to the Senate committee for further deliberation. The committee will subsequently present a list of recommended candidates and their assessments to the Senate. The final deadline for the Senate to elect the Supreme Court lay judges is October 31, 2026.