The Strategies of Polish Judges Implementing the Judgements of European Courts During the Rule of Law Crisis.

The rule of law crisis in Poland was characterized by political interference against judicial independence and judicial resistance. This interference was critiqued on the European level, with numerous judgements of both the ECtHR and the CJEU. This article explores the judicial strategies adopted by...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Central Europe Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 20 - 28
Autor principal: Kocjan, Jakub
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Taylor & Francis Ltd May2026
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=194805309&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ssf
    uiTerm: 194805309
    longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        14790963
        QEJ
      jtl: Central Europe
      issn: 14790963
      maglogo: N
    pubinfo:
      dt: May2026
      vid: 24
      iid: 1
      pid: 377
      pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd
    artinfo:
      ui:
        194805309
        10.1080/14790963.2026.2646842
      ppf: 20
      ppct: 8
      formats:
      tig:
        atl: The Strategies of Polish Judges Implementing the Judgements of European Courts During the Rule of Law Crisis.
      aug:
        au: Kocjan, Jakub
        affil: Institute of Legal Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Foundation Akcja Demokracja, Warsaw, Poland
      su:
        Poland
        Court of Justice of the European Union
        European Union
        Judges
        International courts
        Legal judgments
        Democratic backsliding
        Judicial independence
        European integration
      sug:
        subj:
          Judges
          International courts
          Legal judgments
          Poland
          Court of Justice of the European Union
          European Union
          Democratic backsliding
          Judicial independence
          European integration
      keyword:
        European Court of Human Rights
        implementation
        Judicial resilience
        Muzzle Law
        European Court of Human Rights
        implementation
        Judicial resilience
        Muzzle Law
      ab: The rule of law crisis in Poland was characterized by political interference against judicial independence and judicial resistance. This interference was critiqued on the European level, with numerous judgements of both the ECtHR and the CJEU. This article explores the judicial strategies adopted by Polish judges in response to the prolonged rule of law crisis. The main aim of the study is to analyse how judges balance constitutional values, respond to parliamentary bills contrary to the Constitution such as the 'Muzzle Law' which impeded their dialogue with European courts, adjust to a politicized system where their decisions impact their whole personal careers and, finally, uphold the interests of citizens seeking justice. This article thus examines how Polish judges adopted a whole spectrum of strategies to uphold the rule of law and implement European judgements. The research presented in this article uses qualitative analysis focusing on case law to identify patterns in judicial reasoning and the invocation of European legal norms (or lack of norms). The paper seeks to contribute to a broader European discussion on judicial resilience in an era of democratic backsliding. The aim of the article is to present the variety of tools but also the approaches of judges and their motivations at different levels of the judicial system and has particular relevance also for readers interested in the rule of law crisis in other member states of the European Union.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
    refInfo:
    copyright:
      @attributes:
        flag: N
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N