Parliament May Discuss Lowering Constitutional Tribunal Quorum This Week

Rzeczpospolita daily runs a source report suggesting that the governing Law and Justice party wants parliament to discuss a bill reducing the minimum number of judges in cases heard by the full bench of the Constitutional tribunal as soon as this week.

• A short bill tabled by the party late last week would allow the Tribunal to issue verdicts with just nine judges present rather than the current 11. It would also lower the minimum size of the Tribunal's General Assembly, which presents candidates for the Chief Justice, to 10 from 11.
• Law and Justice tabled the bill after a boycott announced by six judges brought the Tribunal to a standstill, preventing it from hearing a critical case over judicial reforms that are needed to unlock EU funding earmarked for Poland. The rebel judges claim that Chief Justice Julia Przylebska's term has already expired.
• Rzeczpospolita reports that parliament could discuss the bill as soon as on Tuesday. The newspaper's sources from Sovereign Poland (earlier known as Solidarity Poland or Solidarna Polska) said that the junior coalition party is yet to decide how to vote.