Dear President Duda:

On behalf of the American Bar Association (ABA), I thank the people and the Government of Poland for their response to the war in Ukraine, particularly for welcoming over three million Ukrainian refugees fleeing their homes and for providing them with immediate access to work, education, and medical care. We also commend your commitment to rethink the approach to the Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court as urged by the European Union (EU) and the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU). However, the ABA has 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. (…)