Poland's Constitutional Tribunal ruled on Tuesday that a government regulation allowing the transcription of same-sex marriages contracted abroad is unconstitutional, blocking a measure that had been set to take effect on Aug. 23.
The unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel — presided over by tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski — struck down a May 22 regulation signed by Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski and Digital Affairs Minister Marcin Kierwiński that had replaced gender-specific fields on marriage certificates with a gender-neutral option. Law and Justice party lawmakers, led by Marcin Warchoł, had challenged the measure before the court.
The government has refused to publish tribunal rulings since April 2024, considering the body illegitimate due to the presence of improperly appointed judges. Government spokesman Szłapka dismissed the ruling, saying the tribunal's composition carried a legal defect. Poland's constitution defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, though the EU's top court ruled in November 2025 that member states must recognise same-sex marriages performed elsewhere in the bloc.