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Judicial Resistance: missing part of judicial independence? The case of Poland and beyond

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl.1893

Keywords:

Judicial resistance, judicial independence, judicial activism, judicial disobedience, Polish rule of law crisis

Abstract

This article critically examines the concept of "judicial resistance" in Poland between 2015-2023, drawing insights from both Polish and international legal frameworks, jurisprudence, empirical research and literature. The study aims to define and differentiate judicial resistance from other judicial attitudes, interrogate its legal character, and explore whether there exists judges’ right or duty towards such resistance. The article posits a definition for judicial resistance, emphasizing actions—both collective and individual, in-court and out-of-court—taken by judges to counter political endeavors that infringe upon judicial independence and violate the law. A pivotal criterion proposed is that the breach of judicial independence must be illegitimate as per national standards and validated as such. To support this, the article references formal assessments from both national and international bodies. The findings indicate a potential necessity for a broader conceptualization of judicial resistance, suggesting it as a possible safeguard against future erosions of the rule of law.

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Author Biography

Lukasz Bojarski, University of Oslo

Lukasz Bojarski most of his professional life worked for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and legal Think Tanks on judiciary, judiciary communication strategy and interaction with CSOs, selection of judges, trial observation, legal profession, human rights, non-discrimination, access to justice, clinical education. In 2010-2015 Lukasz was a member of the Polish National Council for the Judiciary. Lukasz has 30 years of experience in research, consultancy, advocacy, and training in over 20 countries including Balkans, Central Asia, Caucasus, CEE and CIS countries. Lukasz worked as an expert for Council of Europe, European Commission, OSCE/ODIHR, Polish and foreign universities and foundations. In 2019-2023 Lukasz was a doctoral research fellow at the University of Oslo (UiO), Law Faculty, within the project ‘Judges under Stress (JUS) – the Breaking Point of Judicial Institutions’ financed by FRIPRO-funding from the Research Council of Norway and the UiO. This article is based on the part of the PhD research. Author also received ‘Mobility grant’ from the ATTR Research School, Faculty of Theology, UiO that allowed for the visits to the International Institute for the Sociology of Law in Oñati, Gipuzkoa, Spain. Contact: lukeboja@gmail.com  

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Published

20-09-2024

How to Cite

Bojarski, L. (2024) “Judicial Resistance: missing part of judicial independence? The case of Poland and beyond”, Oñati Socio-Legal Series. doi: 10.35295/osls.iisl.1893.

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Section

Thematic Articles