Constitutional Tribunal of the Republic of Poland

The Constitutional Tribunal is the constitutional court of the Republic of Poland, a judicial body established to resolve disputes on the constitutionality of the activities of state institutions; its main task is to supervise the compliance of statutory law with the Constitution of the Republic of Poland. Its creation was a request of the Solidarity movement following its 1981 National Congress that took place a few weeks before the introduction of martial law. The Tribunal was established on 26 March 1982 and judges took office on 1 January 1986. The tribunal's powers increased in 1989 with the transition to the capitalist Third Polish Republic and in 1997 with the establishment of a new Constitution. The Constitution mandates that its 15 members are elected by the Sejm, the lower house, for 9 years. It is the subject of an appointment crisis since 2015. It should not be confused with the Supreme Court of Poland.