Poland to hold final vote on politicians punishing judges

| January 23, 2020 3:05 AM

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's lawmakers are scheduled Thursday to take a final vote on a proposed law that would allow politicians to fire judges who criticize their decisions, a change that European legal experts warn will undermine judicial independence.

Proposed by Poland's right-wing ruling party, which seeks more control over the judiciary, the law has been condemned by European and Polish legal experts, by Poland's opposition and by some judges.

They say it violates European Union principles and the democratic separation of powers.

The bill was rejected by the Senate last week. The lower house of Poland's parliament, which is controlled by the ruling Law and Justice party, is expected to give its final approval in Thursday's vote. The party has argued the law is needed to prevent “anarchy” among judges, some of whom are critical of the party's policies.

The law would prohibit judges from engaging in any public activities that could be seen as politically motivated. It curbs the right of judges to form independent judicial bodies and requires them to declare all group affiliations, including any political affiliation from Poland's pre-1989 communist era.

The legislation also bans judges from evaluating or criticizing new judicial appointments or powers of state authorities. The punishment for non-compliance ranges from fines to dismissal.

The law is part of changes the ruling party has made to the judiciary since it came to power in 2015. The Law and Justice government argues the judicial system needs to be made more efficient.

Critics agree improvement is needed but say the changes amount to putting judges under political control.

Polish President Andrzej Duda has spoken in favor of the bill and is expected to sign it into law.

The vote planned for Thursday evening comes as the Polish Supreme Court was meeting to assess whether some of its judges, who were appointed under new rules and with the participation of the parliament, are enjoying full independence.