Senate passes new constitutional court law

With 66 senators voting for and 29 abstaining, the upper chamber of Polish parliament has passed a new law on the Constitutional Tribunal. The Senate has introduced numerous amendments to the legislation passed by the Sejm. The new law grants the head of the constitutional court the right to set the order in which the cases are adjudicated, "when it is justified by the need to protect citizens' rights and liberties, the security of the state and the constitutional order." The bill also allows the ombudsman to participate in all Constitutional Court proceedings and changes the way the head and the deputy head of the court are chosen. The changes to the bill are seen as a concession made by the ruling PiS towards opposition and international bodies after heavy criticism of the law passed by the Sejm.