http://dx.doi.org/10.17176/20230702-111025-0 https://verfassungsblog.de/polands-extended-disciplinary-system/ Poland’s Extended Disciplinary System Leichsenring, Til eng 2023-07-02 electronic resource text/html ddc:342 ECJ judicial independence muzzle law Rule of Law Verfassungsblog Verfassungsblog--2366-7044 CC BY-SA 4.0 The judgement of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on June 5, 2023 (C-204/21) has added a new chapter to the rule of law crisis in Poland. The outcome was largely expected given the well-established jurisdiction of the ECJ on matters of the rule of law. However, a close reading of the judgment demonstrates that it recognizes the more insidious ways in which Poland has undermined judicial independence. Specifically, I argue that the ECJ's ruling paves the way for a legal response to the suppression of judicial independence through public intimidation and stigmatization of judges.