In the spotlight: Zbigniew Ziobro

His proposals to limit judges' immunity and sharpen the criminal code met with sharp criticism from legal circles, who accuse the young Minister of arrogance, and the ruling party of attempting to limit the judiciary's independence.

A graduate of law at the Jagiellonian University, Ziobro later held an apprenticeship as a prosecutor, but failed the exam at the end of his training. The would-be prosecutor turned to politics and became quite successful in the field at an early age. In Jerzy Buzek's government he was an adviser to Interior Minister Marek Biernacki and in 2001 he was the Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Justice and one of the closest aides to then-Justice Minister and current President, Lech Kaczyński.

He gained the spotlight thanks to his activities as a member of the Rywingate Inquiry Commission, where he was considered one of the most active investigators. A declared enemy of the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD), Ziobro fiercely questioned the Prime Minister at the time, Leszek Miller, who later called him "a zero." But Ziobro had the last laugh as his report took Miller and SLD officials in public television and the National Broadcasting Council (KRRiTV) to task for the scandal. In 2005 Ziobro was elected to the Sejm with a record number of votes in the Kraków district. He was the head of Lech Kaczyński's staff during the latter's presidential campaign, and in October 2005 was named Justice Minister.