The trust of Poles in the courts reached a dramatic critical point - according to the latest IBRiS study, as many as 57% of citizens do not trust the Polish justice system. This is simply a drastic increase in distrust compared to 34 percent in 2016, erstwhile the Law and Justice began reforming the judiciary.
In October 2023, distrust of courts only somewhat exceeded assurance - 41 percent against 37%, according to Onet.pl. Paradoxically, in October 2024 trust in courts reached the highest level in 8 years - 42.3 percent, which makes the current decline highly dramatic.
Record distrust of citizens
Currently, only 36.1 percent of the respondents declare assurance in the courts, while indifferent percentages have fallen to just 6 percent. Even more alarming data is presented by BusinessInsider - only 2.3% of respondents "decisively trust" the courts, which represents a evidence low consequence compared to 12.9 percent in 2016.
Strong distrust rose dramatically from 13 percent to 23.1% in just 1 year. A akin trend is shown by the Constitutional Court, which only 30.3% of citizens trust, while distrust reaches 54.5%, as reported by BusinessInsider.
Political Pat blocks reforms
The main hope of the ruling coalition to change the strategy of courts evaporated with the failure of Rafał Trzaskowski in the presidential election. President-elect Karol Nawrocki announced that he would not appoint judges who, in his opinion, violated the Constitution.
Minister of Justice Waldemar Żurek remains in a combative mood, wanting lawyers appointed by the Revised Law and Justice Board of the National Judicial Council to be held civilly liable for " impersonating" real judges. According to Onet, the erstwhile disciplinary spokesperson and his co-workers proceed to "buy" the KRS offices, forcing fresh officials to work from alternate locations.
Lack of prospects for compromise
Without the president's signature, there will be no political changes in the Polish courts. A political compromise is needed, not a regulation of law, which neither organization wants to accept.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk appointed Justice Minister justice Waldemar Żurek as a veteran of the fight against attempts to influence the judiciary by erstwhile power. Żurek is to give voters of the Civic Coalition the belief that the regulation of law will be restored by the decisions of the minister, and the coalition before the right will not go back a step.
Sources used: "rp.pl", "BusinessInsider", "Onet"
Note: This article has been edited with the aid of Artificial Intelligence.
