The political crisis in Poland escalated on October 30 after a parliament-elected judge, whom President Karol Norucki refused to swear in, announced the suspension of the leadership of the constitutional courts and claimed temporary control. Police were deployed outside the court, protesters gathered, and Noruki cut short his flight to Senegal to return to Warsaw. Prime Minister Donald Tuskes said the intervention was necessary to restore judicial independence after years of politicization under Law and Justice. Opposition leaders condemned it as a "coup", while some legal experts questioned its legality. The confrontation threatens to deepen the institutional paralysis ahead of next year's parliamentary elections. here.