Polish judges' appointment procedure is defective, ECHR rules

FILE PHOTO: The building of the European Court of Human Rights is seen ahead of the start of a hearing concerning Ukraine's lawsuit against Russia regarding human rights violations in Crimea, in Strasbourg, France, September 11, 2019. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler/File Photo

WARSAW (Reuters) - The procedure to appoint judges to a new chamber of Poland's Supreme Court is defective and Warsaw has to take appropriate legislative measures to correct the process, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said on Thursday.

Rule of law issues took centre stage in Poland after Oct. 15 elections in which pro-European parties won a majority, a shift after eight years of Law and Justice (PiS) party rule and feuding with Brussels over issues such as judicial independence.