“I assume that this is the beginning of the president’s tenure in this office and that the president will understand that the Constitution in Poland must be observed,” said Waldemar Żurek, the Minister of Justice, referring to the November decision of the President of the Republic of Poland. The matter concerns the refusal to nominate 46 judges.
In November 2025, President Karol Nawrocki refused to nominate 46 judges
“The appointment of judges is a constitutional prerogative of the president. Every judge nominated by my predecessors for many years is a judge of the Republic of Poland. This discussion about neo-judges and paleo-judges, which lies outside the constitutional and legal order, has so far destroyed only the political system of the Polish state. It also affects the lives of ordinary people today,” declared President Nawrocki then.
He recalled that “in accordance with the 2012 ruling of the Constitutional Tribunal, the President of the Republic of Poland nominates judges, and on the other hand also has the possibility to refuse a nomination,” adding that now he is exercising this right.
“I refuse to nominate 46 judges. This is not only a verbal signal, but a concrete decision not to grant nominations. I will also not grant promotions to those judges who question the constitutional and legal order of the Republic of Poland – those judges who listen to the bad whispers of the Minister of Justice, Waldemar Żurek, who encourages judges to question the constitutional and legal order of the Republic of Poland,” Nawrocki said.
This triggered another wave of attacks by those in power against the head of state.
Żurek attacks the president: “I assume that he will understand…”
Yesterday, during a conversation with journalists in the Sejm, Waldemar Żurek returned to the topic.
“These media messages that we heard from the president’s associates were deeply troubling, because they would indicate that we are not applying the Constitution. There must be a motion from an authorized body, and the president’s nomination is the final stage,” stated the head of the Ministry of Justice.
He continued, saying: “The president alone in Poland cannot decide whom to nominate and whom not to nominate; this is a public competition, and every candidate for a judgeship who has passed this competition has the right to know why the president does not nominate them, why he refuses.” Thus, Żurek confirmed that the president does indeed have such a prerogative.
“So these signals, these decisions are deeply troubling, but I assume that this is the beginning of the president’s tenure in this office and that the president will understand that the Constitution in Poland must be observed,” said the successor of Adam Bodnar.