The 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Supreme Administrative Tribunal (1922-2022)

In 2022, the Polish administrative judiciary celebrates an exceptional jubilee for its judges and members - the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Supreme Administrative Tribunal (NTA), which operated in the years 1922-1939 and was the direct institutional predecessor of our Supreme Administrative Court, established 1980.

 

The Supreme Administrative Tribunal was the first ever in history of independent Polish State administrative court with nationwide jurisdiction, established by Polish legislator. At the same time in the former Prussian partition (covering the Voivodeships of Poznań, Pomerania and Silesia) operated administrative courts of first instance – Voivodship Administrative Courts in Katowice, Poznań and Toruń. 

The Supreme Administrative Tribunal and voivodship courts, through their case-law and the activities of their judges, inter alia, at academia contributed to the development of legal science in Poland, including in particular the development of administrative sciences. The Tribunal was was one of the co-organiser of the First Polish Congress of Administrative Sciences in 1929 in Poznań and in 1936 co-organiser (in collaboration with the International Institute of Administrative Sciences in Brussels) of the 6th International Congress of Administrative Sciences in Warsaw.

 

The Second World War interrupted the activity of the Supreme Administrative Tribunal. Directly after the war some of its former judges attempted to resume the activity of administrative judiciary by participating in drawing up legal acts concerning this subject matter. However, these activities did not bring expected results. Finally, after more than 40 years of  non-existence of administrative courts under the changed systemic and political conditions, the administrative judiciary was restored in 1980 with the establishment of the Supreme Administrative Court.

 

The aim of the jubilee of the 100th anniversary and related events, including the exhibition “Supreme Administrative Tribunal 1922–1939” and the festive ceremony at the Royal Castle in Warsaw on 25th October 2022 is to remind the descendants - to us, today's generations of citizens - the glorious charter of the Polish judiciary, the corps of outstanding judges, lawyers and officials of the Supreme Administrative Court and voivodship (regional) administrative courts and their service for the benefit of the administration of justice and the legal order of Poland in interwar period 1918-1939.