A Polish Reform of Judiciality: How to Demand and Bury Judicial Accountability

Abstract

The article explores the outcomes of the judicial reform in Poland after 2015, which diminished judicial independence; and it has also been counter-productive in terms of the proclaimed need of judicial accountability. The changes made to how judges are appointed, disciplinary procedure and the management of the courts are discussed from this perspective, observing the capacity to give an account of the power entrusted to judges. The aim of the study is to show that the reforms introduced under the banner of increasing judicial accountability have made that accountability synonymous with the judges being held politically dependent, which is quite the opposite of accounting for the power entrusted. The research methods used in the text are the dogmatic method and case study.