"Poland’s government carried out a sweeping purge of the Supreme Court on Tuesday night, eroding the judiciary’s independence..."

"... escalating a confrontation with the European Union over the rule of law and further dividing this already riven nation.... For years, the party has demonized judges as unreconstructed Communists and obstructionists. After taking power in 2015, it took control of the Constitutional Tribunal, which is tasked with ensuring that laws do not violate the Constitution, and gave authority over the country’s prosecutors to the Ministry of Justice.... Hours before the purge took effect at midnight, Poles again took to the streets in more than 60 cities and towns around the country. As the sun set in Warsaw, crowds gathered in front of a memorial dedicated to those who died in the city’s 1944 uprising against Nazi Germany, chanting an old but familiar refrain: 'Solidarnosc.'"

The NYT reports on a "new law passed by Parliament requires that judges retire when they turn 65 unless they appeal to the country’s president, Andrzej Duda, who has sole discretion over whether they can remain." Under this law, 27 of 72 Supreme Court justices were forced to retire.

72 Supreme Court justices?! Some American lawprof caught flak for suggesting enlarging the U.S. Supreme Court to 15.