http://dx.doi.org/10.59704/4b8af3339ad45dad https://verfassungsblog.de/polands-illegal-judges/ Poland’s “Illegal Judges” - The Court of Justice’s Uneasy Twofold Solution to Address a Long-Festering Rule of Law Problem Pech, Laurent eng 2026-04-02 electronic resource text/html ddc:342 CJEU Case C-521/21 EU Poland Polen Rule of Law illegal judges EU Polen Verfassungsblog Verfassungsblog--2366-7044 CC BY-SA 4.0 For the first time, the CJEU has called for a “legislative framework” to remedy the systemic problem of irregularly appointed judges in Poland’s judicial system in its judgment of 24 March 2026 in Case C-521/21. Until such time, the CJEU has ruled that neo-judges attached to ordinary courts may only be recused on a case-by-case basis. However, such an individual assessment is not required for the neo-judges appointed to courts of last resort. The CJEU’s twofold approach prioritises system stability over the individual right to effective judicial protection.