Polish Supreme Court overturns presidential pardon of top officials, going against ruling party

Poland’s Supreme Court has overturned a contentious presidential pardon of a top government official and three subordinates and ordered a retrial of their case. The surprise ruling Tuesday in the years-long legal dispute surrounding the pardon went against the interests of the ruling nationalist party. It was a rare act of independence from a top court after years of efforts by the Law and Justice party and President Andrzej Duda to establish greater control over the judiciary. The court ruling was the latest blow to Law and Justice in recent days after frustration with the government boiled over into a mass weekend protest of hundreds of thousands of people in the capital.