Son of Górnik and the teacher, Solidarity activists, in his youth activist of the Confederation of Independent Poland, a forester and a law graduate, determined and consistent judge rebel, who often dealt with journalists and government administration. This is the silhouette of Waldemar Żurek, which Prime Minister Donald Tusk chose as the Minister of Justice and the Prosecutor General.
See also: Waldemar Żurek, a new minister of justice. His property declarations were secret
Youth in Solidarity
“Father worked at the Siersza mine in Trzebinia, which no longer exists. He was an activist of” Solidarity “but this low level. The mother was a teacher and was also in Solidarity […]. My older brother was introduced in Nowa Huta, because he went to high school there, in the Federation of Fighting Youth. Later as a young man, still underage, I was active in KPNbecause it was the most radical organization, I will say so much, the first leaflets I looked out, I still remember in 1984, as there was a referendum that few remember. I remember such small stickers, we had a butaprene glue, we put it in your hand, there was a whole technique, lubricated from below, “you don't go, you don't lie” – that's how we boycotted the referendum. I do not remember the questions today, of course invented by the communist authorities, to authenticate, but these events of 80 and 81 have later influenced my whole life. My dream was to stay in the forest, I went to the Forest Technical School. I finished the technical school of forestry. In 1990, in 1989, when the elections were, I stuck posters. Later I said, I'll go to the right “ – This is the statement of Waldemar Żurek from www.bydgoskimarzec.pl about the memories of 81, prepared by Jan Rulewski's Senatorial Office. In 1981 he was 11 years old. The law finished at the Jagiellonian University and became a judge.
See also: Reconstruction of the government of Donald Tusk. The Prime Minister warns against “political bastards”
A stormy career of the judge
From the beginning of his career, Żurek was associated with the District Court in Krakow, where he ruled from 2005. For over 14 years he was a spokesperson for civil affairs of this court. He was one of the few judges available to journalists, open and explaining difficult matters in a simple way. In 2016, he received the “Golden Paragraph” award awarded by “Dziennik Gazeta Prawna” for the most outstanding representatives of the legal world in the category “Best Judge”.
In the years 2002–2003so during the time of the government of Leszek Miller, Żurek was the chief specialist in the Department of Common Courts in the Ministry of Justice and took part in the work of the Civil Law Codification Commission.
In 2009 and 2010, he was temporarily delegated to the National School of Judiciary and Prosecutor's Officewhere he performed, among others Obligations of the Secretary of the Competition Committee to carry out recruitment for the general application.
In 2010, Żurek became a member of the National Council of the Judiciary, in which he also served as a spokesperson from 2014 to March 2018.
Rebellion and harassment during the PiS rule
After the change of government in 2015, the Żurek judge formulated many critical statements about the reforms of the judicial system and the organization of the Constitutional Tribunal. He was one of the most recognizable critics of the government's actions in the area of justice.
In January 2018, Żurek was dismissed from the function of spokesman for the District Court in Krakow by the new president, Dagmara Pawełczyk-Woicka (from 2022 he is the president of the National Court Register). Shortly afterwards, Żurek was transferred from the 2nd Civil Appeal Department to the First Civil Department, i.e. to a lower instance.
Then Two associations of the “Themis” and “Iustitia” judges described it as “politically motivated harassment against this judge” and “an attempt to intimidate judges openly against actions aimed at political subordination of the judiciary.” Żurek is associated with both associations: in the years 2004–2008 he was a member of the “Iustitia” Association, then he became involved with “Themis”.
In March 2018, the Sejm chose new members of the KRS judges. At that time, according to the 2017 Act on the National Court Register, the terms of existing members, including Judge Żurek, expired.
See also: Waldemar Żurek, a new minister of justice. Is the reaction of Adam Bodnar
He fights for justice not only in Strasbourg
In August 2018, Żurek sent a complaint about the activities of Polish authorities to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. In June 2022, the ECtHR ruled that Poland, by interrupting the judge's term of office without the possibility of appealing to the court, violated Art. 6 para. 1 of the European Human Convention (right to court). The Tribunal also decided that control and disciplinary proceedings initiated against him were in fact a repression for his criticism of changes in the justice dimension, Which indicated the violation of Art. 10 Convention (right to freedom of speech). As for disciplinary matters for the criticism of Zbigniew Zebra's rule, then Waldemar Żurek was a record holder – in over 20 proceedings he was brought to nearly 70 allegations. The proceedings were discontinued after the change of power. ECtHRs awarded 15,000 to the judge. euro due to non -property damage and 10,000 euro for costs and expenses.
Waldemar Żurek was also one of the victims of the so -called hatred scandal, revealed in August 2019 by the Onet portal. The point was that users of the Kasta and Anti -Quasta groups, which were to belong to the judges associated with the previous authorities, revealed sensitive data on the critical judges to the authorities, possessed by MS. Mainly for this reason, in April 2025, judge Waldemar Żurek filed a lawsuit against the State Treasury in Warsaw for a violation of personal rights and repression in 2015-2023. He demands a million zlotys compensation. His proxies are lawyers: prof. Michał Romanowski i Anna Niepępska.
In March 2023, the District Court in Katowice ruled that the management of the SO in Krakow, including President Dagmara Pawełczyk -Woick, applied discrimination and mobbing against Żurek. The consequence of this decision was to restore the judge to work in the Second Civil Appeal Department. From June 2024 to this day, Żurek is the deputy director of organizational for the National School of Judiciary and Prosecutor's Office.
See also: Government reconstruction. We will spend so much on severance pay for former ministers
End of adventure in a judge?
To become the Minister of Justice, Waldemar Żurek has to give up this position, but above all Get to the judicial office, and thus immunity.
According to art. 98 parish 2 of the Law on the structure of common courts, the judge who has been appointed, appointed or elected to perform the functions in state bodies, is obliged to renounce his office immediately, unless he is retired. Restoration of sour soup is unlikely to go. In the case of a man, this is possible after reaching 60 years, if he worked as a judge or prosecutor for not less than 30 years.
There were also voices that President Andrzej Duda may refuse to appoint a minister.
Art. 161 of the Constitution states that the president, at the request of the Prime Minister, changes in the composition of the Council of Ministers. As a rule, he cannot refuse, although there were views that, following his general tasks, e.g. watching over the constitution, the president, giving a special justification, may refuse the prime minister's conclusion.
When Waldemar Żurek ceases to be a minister and wants to return to the previous position, the role of the president will be crucial. Return requires because Consent of the National Council of the Judiciary i re -establishing by the president. If it is Karol Nawrocki, it is rather difficult to expect a positive decision. It can then be expected that Waldemar Żurek after a mission in the government, he will not return to the profession of a judge.
Barbara Piwnik did not have such a problem, who after almost a year of being a minister, left the government returned to adjudicating as a judge in the penalty department of the District Court in Warsaw. In turn, Leszek Kubicki did not give up being a judge during being a minister. As he said in an interview with the Commonwealth, “the first president of the Supreme Court, Prof. Adam Strzembosz, agreed to my free vacation.” After the resignation of the government of Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz in 1997, after losing the election by SLD (then AWS won), he could return to adjudicating.
