The significance of the mechanism under Article 37 of the Polish Code of Criminal Procedure in the context of organisational and staffing difficulties of a court and selection of a judging panel. Commentary on the decision of the Supreme Court of 21 June 2024, III KO 89/24
Tymon Markiewicz
The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin , Polandhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-8362-5898
Abstract
The commentary analyses the decision of the Supreme Court of 21 June 2024, III KO 89/24, concerning the request of the Court of Appeal in Rzeszów to refer the case to another court pursuant to Article 37 § 1 of the Polish Code of Criminal Procedure. The request was motivated by organisational and staffing difficulties related to the adjudication by judges appointed at the request of the National Council of the Judiciary formed pursuant to the amending act – this gave rise to the fear that the judgment would be overturned by the Supreme Court due to improper staffing of the court (Article 439 § 1(2) of the Polish Code of Criminal Procedure). The Supreme Court did not grant the request, stating that, as a rule, organisational difficulties (including staffing) did not provide grounds for a referral under Article 37 of the Polish Code of Criminal Procedure. The Supreme Court noted that such problems should be addressed by other entities, and the mechanism under Article 37 was not intended to resolve current organisational issues. The author of this commentary endorses this position, stressing that the interests of justice do not cover organisational difficulties in the broad sense, including staffing, and that adjudicating, in this manner, on potential improper staffing of the court would constitute an unacceptable “pre-judgement.”
Keywords:
interests of justice, organisational difficulties, staffing difficulties, improper staffing of a court, case referralReferences
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The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8362-5898
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