“The appointment of Waldemar Żurek as Minister of Justice has one good aspect,” said Judge Przemysław Radzik in an interview with Niezalezna.pl. In his view, the positive element lies in the fact that, as a member of the Council of Ministers, Żurek “will have to resign from his position as a judge.” Radzik added, “I don’t expect anything positive from Minister Żurek, as throughout his years in public life he has built nothing of value and offered no constructive proposals.”
“The appointment of Waldemar Żurek as Minister of Justice has one good element: as a minister, he will have to step down from the judiciary. That’s certainly good news,” Radzik stated.
“In my opinion, this nomination shows how the groups that used to call themselves defenders of the rule of law, allegedly fighting the repressions of the previous government, were in fact politically tied to members of the then opposition—now in power. And now this government is rewarding judges loyal to them. What Rafał Trzaskowski once said about ‘his own judges’ is fully realized in Żurek’s case.”
“Today the Prime Minister called Waldemar Żurek’s actions heroic. I don’t quite understand where this heroism lies, given that Mr. Żurek had numerous disciplinary proceedings against him for breaking the law—for example, challenging the legitimacy of judges appointed after 2018, or issuing verdicts in one location while physically being in another,” said the Deputy Disciplinary Spokesperson for Judges of Ordinary Courts. “For me, this nomination is linked to last year’s raid on the National Council of the Judiciary by prosecutors, who used crowbars to break into cabinets and seize disciplinary files concerning Judge Żurek—so they could be dismissed. And that’s exactly what happened. The aim was to give Żurek a clean slate.”
Judge Radzik emphasized:
“Repression is on the horizon—in the courts and the prosecution service. I approach this calmly, despite being almost certain that I’ll be the first target of Minister Żurek and his associates. I’m not afraid, because the law is on my side, and I’ve always stood in defense of the law.”
“We already have the example of Minister Adam Bodnar—a former Ombudsman, a law professor, supposedly a champion of the wronged, and someone committed to upholding legal standards. Yet in practice, we saw women being humiliated, a mother at her child’s funeral shackled in leg irons, and a priest forced to relieve himself into a bottle. The list goes on. That’s why I no longer have any illusions.”
What might be Minister Żurek’s first moves? Will he focus on accountability, or structural reforms in the judiciary?
“I don’t expect any positive developments from Minister Żurek. Over years of public engagement, he has failed to create or propose anything of value. Therefore, beyond propaganda, I don’t believe he’ll introduce any initiatives that will lighten the load on courts or improve conditions in the prosecution service.”
Could this be a clever move by the Prime Minister—to appoint someone from that part of the judiciary to avoid attacks from groups like Iustitia or Themis?
“Mr. Editor, that question is rather naïve. Let me remind you that the judicial associations Themis and Iustitia initially offered strong support to Minister Bodnar, urged him to take various actions—and ultimately, as became clear in recent weeks, turned on him. They ended up attacking him outright. The recent remarks by Messrs. Przymusiński and Markiewicz are proof of that. So I wouldn’t expect Judge Żurek to receive any special treatment from these associations, even if he hails from them. Undoubtedly, however, he will be their hostage in one way or another.”