On October 14, 2026, a ceremony was held at the building of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland to hand over the resolution on the selection of Maciej Berek to the position of judge of the Constitutional Tribunal. The document was received by the elected judge from the hands of the Marshal of the Sejm, Włodzimierz Czarzasty. The highest authorities of both parliamentary chambers and representatives from legal circles attended the event. After the ceremony, the Marshal convened a press conference where he addressed the current legal situation and the relations between the executive and legislative branches of government.
Course of the ceremony
Present at the meeting were the Marshal of the Senate, Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, and the deputy marshals of the Sejm: Dorota Niedziela, Monika Wielichowska, and Piotr Zgorzelski. Former President of the Constitutional Tribunal, Bohdan Zdziennicki, also participated in the event. Representatives of professional self-governments, including the National Council of the Bar Association, the National Council of Notaries, and the National Council of Legal Counselors, also arrived at the Sejm ceremony. Maciej Berek, after receiving the document, emphasised that taking the oath is a legal obligation of a Constitutional Tribunal judge, who must serve the nation and guard the constitution.
Marshal Czarzasty's stance
At the press conference, Włodzimierz Czarzasty stated that at this point, the role of the Sejm in the appointment process had ended. The Marshal expressed the expectation that from now on, the Constitutional Tribunal would operate in a normal and effective manner. He referred to the opinion of the Venice Commission dated October 13, 2026. According to the interpretation mentioned by the Marshal, the president should immediately accept the oath from judges elected by the Sejm, without attributing to himself the authority to control the election procedure.
Czarzasty pointed out that in the Polish context, two principles were violated. First, President Karol Nawrocki did not directly accept the oath from the judge. Second, the Presidential Chancellery sent letters to the parliament accusing the Sejm of procedural breaches in the appointment of Maciej Berek. The Marshal assessed these accusations as unfounded and emphasised that questions about the legality of the procedure in this form should not be raised. He also reminded that, according to the constitution, the Sejm and the President are independent bodies with their own specific competencies. Czarzasty stated with satisfaction that the line adopted by the Sejm Chancellery and the lower house had proven to be in accordance with the law.