Supreme court

Poland's battered judiciary scored a small but important victory on Tuesday, when Warsaw district court judge Igor Tuleya "survived" a hearing before the Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court.

Experts called it a significant win in the struggle raging over ultimate political control of the Polish judiciary, in which Tuleya is seen as one of the most prominent independent figures.

Britain's highest appeals court on Tuesday refused to overturn a High Court judgment restricting the rights of some Turkish businesspeople who set up businesses in the U.K.
The case concerns the rights of Turkish businesspeople who lost some of their rights under a 2018 Home Office decision.

A Constitutional Court decision to annul the law on security investigation and archive research upon an appeal of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) was published in the Official Gazette on April 28 and entered into force.

"The Constitutional Court must adapt itself to these conditions as well. Concerning any regulation that someone deems unconstitutional, it can take the initiative," he said.

Denis Preshovа, assistant constitutional law professor at Sts Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, agreed.

Critics call the reforms a step-by-step takeover of institutions vital to democracy. 

As determined as PiS is to restructure the system, others are equally bent on resisting the changes. From street protests to legal challenges by judges and lawyers, the backlash has been considerable.

The Supreme Court's decision that appointments and sackings of public officials by parliament can no longer be countermanded by the courts - even if they are illegal - has caused controversy in Montenegro since it was announced last week.

By Dimitra Kroustalli

There are certain posts in public service that operate almost anonymously for the majority of the population because the institution transcends the individual that serves it.

Such was the case with the Supreme Court Prosecutor's Office.

The government's decision to proceed with filling top Supreme Court and Council of State posts just five weeks before a general election has drawn furious criticism from main opposition New Democracy and constitutional scholars.

Despite being "completely unprecedented," Greece's triple elections for European Parliament, and regional and local government are "proceeding smoothly," Supreme Court President Vassilis Peppas said on Sunday afternoon.

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld an appeal filed by its top prosecutor Xeni Dimitriou against the rejection of a furlough request for convicted November 17 terrorist Dimitris Koufodinas, paving the way for the likely approval of the request. 

A few hours later, Koufodinas ended a hunger strike he started on May 2 to protest the refusal of his request.