“Some employees of the District Court in Piotrków Trybunalski have been prohibited from executing the orders of the Deputy Disciplinary Officer,” Judge Anna Gąsior-Majchrowska, who holds this position, told the portal Niezalezna.pl. The decision was made by the court’s president, Judge Urszula Sipińska-Sęk. According to Judge Gąsior-Majchrowska, this is an attempt to intimidate court staff and constitutes an “unlawful interference in the activities of disciplinary bodies.” Another manifestation of such interference, she said, is the “dismissal” of nine local disciplinary officers, allegedly ordered by Judge Joanna Raczkowska, who currently holds the position of the Disciplinary Officer for Ordinary Court Judges (RDSSP).
As reported on Monday, Judge Joanna Raczkowska – appointed by Waldemar Żurek and serving as the Disciplinary Officer for Ordinary Court Judges – decided to dismiss nine local disciplinary officers. The decision has provoked outrage within the legal community, as these officers are appointed for a four-year term, which can only end in four specifically defined cases.
Ineffective and Beyond Authority
Judge Gąsior-Majchrowska, one of the “dismissed” officials and Deputy Disciplinary Officer at the District Court in Piotrków Trybunalski, commented on Raczkowska’s decision in an interview with Niezalezna.pl.
She emphasized that Judge Piotr Schab continues to hold the office of RDSSP, and only his legitimate deputies – Judges Przemysław Radzik and Michał Lasota – “have the authority to appoint or accept the resignations of deputy disciplinary officers serving at district and appellate courts.”
“In this situation, the letter from Judge Joanna Raczkowska dated November 3, 2025, must be regarded as ineffective and legally nonexistent, as it was issued by a person who is not a body authorized to make such a decision. Moreover, it is an example of action ultra vires – that is, beyond the scope of statutory authority, and therefore a blatant violation of the principle of legality set out in Article 7 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland,”
Judge Gąsior-Majchrowska stated.
Pressure on Personnel
The interlocutor stressed that “unfortunately, Judge Raczkowska’s actions were not the only example of unlawful interference in the work of disciplinary bodies.”
“At the District Court in Piotrków Trybunalski, Judge Urszula Sipińska-Sęk prohibited a staff member from the personnel department from executing the orders of the Deputy Disciplinary Officer,”
she said.
She added that “such an employee – under the law – is not subordinate to the president of the court, but to the Director of the District Court, who exercises supervision over administrative personnel.”
“Issuing such a prohibition without any legal basis constitutes not only an overreach of authority but also an attempt to intimidate court staff performing their duties in accordance with the law. Such conduct undermines the very foundations of judicial independence and damages the authority of judicial institutions,”
Judge Gąsior-Majchrowska assessed.
She added that “as a result, the entire situation appears not as a dispute over legal interpretation but as a deliberate attempt to create a fictitious legal order – one in which public office is determined not by statute but by current political and personal arrangements.”
“The Authorities Do Not Create Law at Will”
Judge Gąsior-Majchrowska emphasized that “the law still applies. And its wording in this matter is exceptionally clear: the term of office for a deputy disciplinary officer lasts four years and may be terminated only in cases specified in Article 112 § 8 of the Act on the Organisational Structure of Common Courts.”
“And although some may think that a mere ‘letter dated November 3, 2025’ is enough to change that order, the Constitution of the Republic of Poland and Act on the Organisational Structure of Common Courts make it clear: the authorities do not create law at will, and public functions do not expire at the whim of political convenience,”
concluded the Deputy Disciplinary Officer at the District Court in Piotrków Trybunalski.