EU court: Poland's disciplining of judges breaches EU law

The European Union’s top court has ruled that Poland’s way of disciplining judges is contrary to EU law, further straining relations between the bloc and its increasingly recalcitrant member state

BRUSSELS -- The European Union’s top court ruled Thursday that Poland’s way of disciplining judges is contrary to EU law, further straining relations between the bloc and its increasingly recalcitrant member state. It was the latest development in a six-year dispute and the second major ruling in a week, coming on the heels of a Polish court saying that temporary injunctions issued by the EU’s top court regarding the national judiciary and the constitution are not binding. Over the past years, the Polish government has increasingly denounced EU action against its decisions on the judiciary as politically motivated. The Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice said in a statement that “the disciplinary regime for judges in Poland is not compatible with EU law.”