WASHINGTON, May 18, 2022 — American Bar Association President Reginald Turner sent a letter to the president of Poland, Andrzej Duda, thanking the people and government of Poland for welcoming more than 3 million Ukrainian refugees and commended Duda’s commitment to rethink the approach to the Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court.
The ABA expressed concerns over continued threats to judicial independence and the rule of law in Poland and whether the legislative proposals currently under consideration sufficiently guarantee the impartiality and independence of the bodies responsible for appointing and disciplining judges, the rights of individual judges and lawyers, and ultimately the right to a fair trial for Polish citizens.
The ABA respectfully urged the government of Poland to use the opportunity of its current legislative reforms to bring meaningful changes to the justice system that ensure judicial independence is consistent with long-standing Polish democratic and human rights traditions, as well as Poland’s international treaty obligations and European law.
The letter can be read here.
The ABA is the largest voluntary association of lawyers in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.