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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 30 June 2020
Joined Cases C-585/18, C-624/18, and C-625/18 concerning the independence of the Disciplinary Chamber of the Sąd Najwyższy (Polish Supreme Court) is the latest in a series of European Union (EU) Member States requesting the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) to rule on the independence of their judicial systems. While the organization of justice systems within Member States is a competence of Member States (and thus not for the EU to determine or decide), the CJEU has held that Member States are nevertheless required to comply with obligations under EU law to ensure effective judicial protection and, as a necessary corollary, judicial independence. The significance of the current case lies in the formulation by the CJEU of a “European” standard of judicial independence, and its finding that national judges may set aside the jurisdiction of courts found not to be independent against that standard and to disapply any national measure (in accordance with the principle of the primacy of EU law over national law) that gives jurisdiction to a non-independent court.
1 Joined Cases A. K. v Krajowa Rada Sądownictwa (C-585/18)l and CP (C-624/18), DO (C-625/18) v Sąd Najwyższy (Nov. 19, 2019), http://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&docid=220770&pageIndex=0&doclang=EN&mode=lst&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=328730 [hereinafter Joined Cases].
2 Case C-619/18 Commission v. Poland (June 24, 2019) (on the independence of the Supreme Court), http://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&docid=215341&pageIndex=0&doclang=EN&mode=lst&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=328430; Case C-192/18 Commission v. Poland (Nov. 5, 2019) (on the independence of the ordinary courts), http://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&docid=219725&pageIndex=0&doclang=EN&mode=lst&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=328576.
3 Consolidated Versions of the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, 2010 O.J. (C83) 13 and 2012 O.J. (C326) 47.
4 Joined Cases, supra note 1 ¶ 153.
5 Id. ¶ 121.
6 Id. ¶ 122.
7 Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, 2010 O.J. (C83) 389.