Gersdorf

Critics call the reforms a step-by-step takeover of institutions vital to democracy. 

As determined as PiS is to restructure the system, others are equally bent on resisting the changes. From street protests to legal challenges by judges and lawyers, the backlash has been considerable.

Crowds protesting the forced retirement of the Supreme Court head, Małgorzata Gersdorf, and of some of its judges as part of a judicial overhaul implemented by Poland's right-wing ruling party, that has put it at odds with the European Union, before the Supreme Court building in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, July 3, 2018. AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski