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Reinstating the Rule of Law

Challenges, Dilemmas and Strategies in Poland and Beyond

  • Open Access
Reinstating the Rule of Law cover

Reinstating the Rule of Law

Challenges, Dilemmas and Strategies in Poland and Beyond

  • Open Access
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Pre-order. Available Dec 24 2026
$121.50 RRP $135.00 Website price saving $13.50 (10%)

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Description

This open access book offers an in-depth understanding of the challenges, dilemmas and strategies of reinstating the rule of law after the dismantling of a constitutional order.

Drawing on the case of Poland's democratic transition back to the rule of law, the volume explores the uncharted territory of restoring independent institutions within an EU Member State.

After eight years of autocratic interference with the judiciary, media and state institutions, the Parliamentary elections of October 2023 mark a turning point for Poland. The new government now faces the complex challenge of restoring the rule of law, with European and international law playing a pivotal role. Still, at numerous crossroads a dilemma comes up: Can the rule of law be disregarded to restore it? Or must the rule of law be adhered to at the risk of legal and institutional paralysis? This book presents strategies for solving this dilemma in theory and practice, thereby paving the way for other states' transitions to come.

Through a comparative and interdisciplinary approach, including historical and contextual analysis, the authors show that restoring the rule of law is more than just a legal challenge. This volume equips academics and policymakers with conceptual tools and practical guidance to address the pressing issue of reinstating the rule of law, both in Poland and beyond.

The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by the University of Freiburg.

Table of Contents

Introduction, Paulina Starski and Johannes Vöhler (University of Freiburg, Germany)

Part I: The Polish Judiciary in Transition
1. Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Reflections on the Rule of Law Recovery in Poland, Adam Bodnar (SWPS University, Poland)
2. Rule of Law Transition Processes in Recent Polish History, Wojciech Sadurski (University of Warsaw, Poland)
3. Striking a Balance: Proportionality as Guiding Principle for Reinstating the Rule of Law in Poland, Barbara Grabowska-Moroz (Central European University Democracy Institute, Hungary)
4. Rebuilding the Polish Constitutional Tribunal, Marcin Szwed (University of Warsaw, Poland)
5. Spotlight: Reinstating the Rule of Law in Poland – Mapping the Discourse, Aleksandra Kustra-Rogatka (Nicolaus Copernicus University, Poland)

Part II: Comparative Insights
6. Constitutional Repair in Poland: Navigating a New Paradigm, Tom Gerald Daly (Melbourne Law School, Australia)
7. Rule of Law Practices in Comparative Perspective, Rodrigo Garcia Cadore (University of Freiburg, Germany)
8. From Poster Child to Problem Child: The Oscillating Rule of Law in Recent Hungarian History, Petra Bárd (Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands)

Part III: Legal Culture and Communication
9. We Have Found the Enemy – It Is Us, All of Us Together, András Jakab (University of Salzburg, Ausria)
10. Constitutional Culture and Constitutional Communication in Phases of Transition, Gabriele Britz (Goethe University, Germany)
11. Reinstating the Rule of Law in Poland: A Media Freedom Perspective, Anna Wójcik (Kozminski University, Poland)
12. Spotlight: Navigating the Transition Dilemma in the Polish Media – A Comment on Anna Wójcik's Chapter, Kaja Kazmierska (Ernst & Young, Beligum)

Part IV: Theoretical Foundations
13. Spotlight: Constitutional Dilemmas, Anna-Bettina Kaiser (Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany)
14. Against Constitutional Moments, Christoph Bezemek (University of Graz, Austria)
15. Spotlight: Is the Polish Rule of Law Crisis a Constitutional Moment?, Rike Sinder (University of Freiburg, Germany)

Part V: Supranational Actors
16. From Regression to Restoration: The Dynamic Role of EU Values in Reinstating Constitutional Democracy, Luke Dimitrios Spieker (Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany)
17. EU Lawlessness Law in the Sheepskin of the Rule of Law, Dimitry V Kochenov (Central European University Democracy Institute, Hungary)
18. A Constructive Counterpoint to Dimitry V Kochenov's 'EU Lawlessness Law in the Sheepskin of the Rule of Law', Thomas Mollenhauer (University of Freiburg, Germany)
19. Fortified or Defenceless? Liberal International Organisations' Responses to Illiberal Challenges from Within, Diana Panke and Tainá Siman (The Free University of Berlin, Germany)

Concluding Remarks, Miroslaw Wyrzykowski (University of Warsaw, Poland)

Product details

Published Dec 24 2026
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Pages 448
ISBN 9781509991105
Imprint Hart Publishing
Dimensions 9 x 6 inches
Series Hart Studies in Comparative Public Law
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Anthology Editor

Paulina Starski

Paulina Starski is Professor and Co-Head of the In…

Anthology Editor

Johannes Vöhler

Johannes Vöhler is reading for a DPhil in Socio-Le…

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