Nils Muiznieks, the human rights commissioner for the Council of Europe, said the Polish government had neglected "compelling contrary advice" before voting to give parliament, rather than judges, the power to choose members of the National Council of the Judiciary. The Supreme Court supervises and provides guidance to lower courts on complex cases and can rule in disputed cases. The new rules on the National Council had already been criticized by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and other international and national legal institutions. Poland's opposition and judges also voiced outrage at the surprise draft law on the Supreme Court. "This is a kind of an accumulation of power and it changes the system of power in Poland," said judge Michal Laskowski, spokesman for the Supreme Court.

Source: ABC News July 13, 2017 08:42 UTC