Warsaw, Toruń, Wrocław… Meetings with candidates for the National Council of the Judiciary are being held in courts across Poland – specifically those backed by the Polish Judges Association Iustitia and Themis Judges Association. The Niezalezna.pl portal has obtained messages – effectively invitations – sent out, among others, by Judge Wojciech Buchajczuk, who is himself one of the candidates and also Vice President of Iustitia. “Your presence and active participation will be extremely valuable to us” – he argued.
Elections to the KRS and a resolution of the Sejm
On May 12, the term of the so-called judicial “fifteen” in the National Council of the Judiciary expires, meaning that new members must be selected. The process of nominating candidates is already underway. The Minister of Justice, Waldemar Żurek, in cooperation with the Polish Judges Association Iustitia, has planned to hold “primaries”. This idea is facing clear opposition from a large part of the legal community. Despite these controversies, in February the Sejm adopted a resolution on the “restoration of constitutional standards for the election of judge-members of the National Council of the Judiciary”. The Head of the Chancellery of the President, Zbigniew Bogucki, noted that the Sejm’s resolution on the election of judges to the KRS will have no legal effect.
The Polish Judges Association Iustitia published its list of 15 judicial candidates for the KRS just two hours after the vote. In a social media post, the association called to “choose independence”.
Election campaign in the courts
The Niezalezna.pl portal has obtained a letter sent by Judge Wojciech Buchajczuk of the District Court in Warsaw to judges in the capital. In the correspondence, he invited them to participate in meetings organized with candidates for the KRS supported by the Polish Judges Association Iustitia, Themis Judges Association, the National Association of Administrative Court Judges, the Association of Family Judges in Poland, as well as by 10 Presidents of Courts of Appeal (!).
“On behalf of the candidates, I invite you to the indicated meetings, the purpose of which is to present their profiles, including professional experience and the program we intend to implement as members of the National Council of the Judiciary, should we be elected. Your presence and active participation will be extremely valuable to us and will make it possible to learn opinions on the current situation of the justice system and the expectations of the judicial community regarding the role that the newly appointed National Council of the Judiciary can and should play in restoring the standards of the rule of law, as well as in building substantive debate and strengthening dialogue within the judicial community” – we read.
These meetings – undoubtedly part of a kind of election campaign – are to be held in court buildings in Warsaw. Candidates are expected to present their experience and program, as well as seek support.
It is also worth noting that Judge Wojciech Buchajczuk himself is a candidate for the KRS and at the same time Vice President of Iustitia for financial matters.
So far, one of the announced meetings has already taken place. The next ones are scheduled for:
- March 27, 2026, from 14:00, room no. 450, at the District Court for Warsaw – Śródmieście, 82 Marszałkowska Street, Warsaw,
- March 30, 2026, from 14:30, room no. 2045, at the Regional Court Warsaw – Praga, 3 Poligonowa Street, Warsaw,
- March 31, 2026, from 14:30, room no. 400, at the Regional Court in Warsaw, 127 Solidarności Avenue.
Meetings in Wrocław and Toruń
Similar meetings with Iustitia candidates for the KRS are also being organized in Wrocław. The Niezalezna.pl portal has established that on March 30 this year, between 14:00 and 17:00, meetings will be held at the Court of Appeal in Wrocław with Judges Dariusz Zawistowski, Katarzyna Zawiślak, and Monika Frąckowiak.
The invitation to participate in these events was addressed to the presidents of Regional Courts of the Wrocław appellate jurisdiction, acting under the authority of Jacek Gołaczyński, President of the Court of Appeal in Wrocław.
On the same day at 9:30, a meeting will also be held in the conference room of the District Court in Toruń with Judge of the Regional Court in Gdańsk, Magdalena Kierszka. The content of the invitation sent by the Vice President of the District Court in Toruń, Judge Katarzyna Malinowska, has also been obtained.