PRZESŁANKI WYZNACZANIA SĘDZIÓW DO SKŁADU ORZEKAJĄCEGO TRYBUNAŁU KONSTYTUCYJNEGO I KONSEKWENCJE ICH NARUSZENIA
THE RULES OF ASSIGNING JUDGES TO JUDICIAL PANELS OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL TRIBUNAL AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF VIOLATIONS OF THESE RULES

Summary/Abstract: The article disuses arguments against the unlimited power of the President of the Polish Constitutional Tribunal to assign and re-assign judges to Tribunal’s panels hearing particular cases. It argues that this power should be exercised in accordance with the strict and plain meaning of the statutory provisions. The President should fully respect constitutional principles of legality, judges’ impartiality as well as the efficiency of Tribunal’s work. Criticising the President’s latest practice, the article argues that the membership of the panels should be relatively invariable. The President should be allowed to change the membership in limited statutory circumstances only. Moreover, he or she should always assign judges, including the chairman of the panel and the judge-rapporteur, in alphabetical order. The President should also be absolutely bound by the order and subject-matter of cases to be heard by the Tribunal. The article discusses cases of abuses of the President’s power to assign judges to the panels. The currently binding constitution and statutes do not directly provide any remedies for such presidential abuses. They can be considered unlawful in theoretical terms only. However, these abuses do not automatically make the Tribunal’s judgement unlawful or invalid. The article provides an explanation for this duality of consequences from a theoretical and doctrinal perspective. Taking into account Article 77 of the Constitution, it also calls upon individuals to bring action for damages against unlawful abuses of the President’s power.

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