Changes to constitutional court law breach constitution

Poland's Constitutional Tribunal has ruled that a law on the constitutional court, which was passed in December last year by the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, is against the constitution. The Constiutional Tribunal adjudicated the legislation prevents the court from "reliable and efficient" operation. It said that numerous provisions of the law are unconstitutional, primarily the requirement to adjudicate cases in the order they were filed, as well as the paragraph which says that a full bench comprises 13 of all 15 justices and that 2/3 of votes are needed to pass a verdict. In the previous version of the law, verdicts were passed with a simple majority with five judges present or nine in cases of particular importance. Additionally, the Tribunal stated that permissions included in the law allowing the dismissal of a judge by parliament, and the ability for the Justice Minister or the President to launch disciplinary proceedings against him, also breach the constitution. The ruling likely won't put an end to the constitutional crisis in Poland as Prime Minister Beata Szydło said on Tuesday that the government won't publish the verdict, preventing it from coming into force. In her opinion, Wednesday's court seating was not legal since only 12 judges attended it, instead of the 13 required by the PiS-backed amendment.