WARSAW — Poland’s parliament, under the leadership of the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, passed a law dissolving an independent body responsible for the nomination of judges. At the same time, PiS submitted a draft law that would force the entire Supreme Court into retirement and give the country's justice minister the ability to decide which judges can stay in their current roles.

Critics worry these dual moves pave the way for Poland's executive branch to take full control of the judiciary. The parliament's latest decision, in their view, is in line with earlier efforts by PiS, which came to power in 2015, to undermine checks and balances.

"Courts in our opinion are the stronghold of post-communists in Poland,” Jarosław Kaczyński, chairman of PiS and Poland’s de facto leader, said in a recent interview with Polish online news portal Onet.

"The Supreme Court is ... protecting people who had served the old regime," he said, adding that the judicial system is "controlled by lefties and ... subordinated to foreign forces.”

Judges in Poland are selected through a process whereby the National Judiciary Council (KRS), consisting mostly of senior lawyers chosen by professional associations, propose judges who are later sworn in by the president. Under the new rules, parliament will nominate KRS members, giving the ruling party full indirect control over the appointment of judges.

Observers believe that part of the reasoning behind the new laws is preventing judges from making decisions not in line with the ruling party's interest. Last month, for example, the Supreme Court ruled that the Polish president’s pardon of a convicted senior PiS official, Mariusz Kamiński, was illegal. The government, however, ignored the ruling and Kamiński continues to serve as a minister in charge of Poland’s security services.

A separate law, also passed on Wednesday, allows the country's justice minister to nominate presidents of regional and appeal courts, taking this function away from judges’ caucuses. PiS had already finalized its de facto takeover of Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal earlier this year.

The announcement of the new legislation will be remembered "as a black Wednesday for the country," said Małgorzata Gersdorf, president of the Supreme Court, in remarks to reporters on Thursday. "We see a high threat of de facto subordination of the judiciary to the executive in Poland. It is dangerous to the democratic system," she said, adding that cutting short the six-year term of a Supreme Court president was unconstitutional.

The Polish parliament's decision was also met with concern by international and European institutions, which have already expressed some worries about the ruling party's earlier moves to centralize power.

"I regret adoption of new law on National Judiciary Council in Poland despite compelling contrary advice. Major setback for judicial independence,” tweeted Nils Muiznieks, the commissioner for human rights of the Council of Europe.

Criticism in Brussels came from across the political spectrum.

"The hasty vote in the Polish Sejm [parliament] on the reform of the judiciary is a turning point for Poland,” European People's Party leader Manfred Weber wrote in a statement on behalf of his political grouping, adding that "a red line was crossed yesterday. With this vote, the PiS is putting an end to the rule of law and democracy in Poland and leaving the European community of values.”

Weber also called on the European Commission to react to "this severe violation of EU fundamental values” but the Commission has thus far declined to comment on any specific potential implications of Poland's moves.

The ruling party enjoys the public's backing in its moves against the courts: only one in three Poles views the country’s judiciary positively, according to a recent report by polling firm CBOS.

The Polish government has also promoted a narrative of a corrupt judicial system, citing wrongdoing and negligence among judges. Pro-government media highlights that many Poles complain about slow proceedings and corrupt practices within the judiciary.

But the government's latest move to undermine judicial independence is far from universally popular.

As one social media commentator tweeted Thursday: "Soon law and justice in Poland will be replaced by Law and Justice.”