Sejm passes amendment to constitutional tribunal law

On Tuesday, the Sejm, the lower chamber of parliament, passed an amendment to the law on the constitutional court, according to which the tribunal's rulings are to be passed with a two-thirds majority with 13 out of 15 judges present and voting. In the previous version of the law, verdicts were passed with a simply majority with five judges present or nine in cases of particular importance. The opposition says that the new law will paralyze the constitutional court and would undermine democratic checks and balances. Earlier, the Constitutional Tribunal had ruled that the choice of three out five judges made by previous, PO-led parliament was constitutional and obliged President Andrzej Duda to swear them in. Instead, the President received an oath from five judges chosen with votes from PiS in November. The amendment may force the head of the tribunal to include the five judges chosen by the ruling party (PiS) to the court's composition. Otherwise, it will be unable to proceed.