# Ministry of Justice (Poland)

The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Poland is one of the ministries of Poland.
The Ministry of Justice was established by the Decree of the Council of Ministers of 3 November 1999 on the creation of the Ministry of Justice.
The remit of the Minister of Justice is set out in the Ordinance of the President of the Council of Ministers of 13 December 2017 on the detailed scope of activities of the Minister of Justice.
The Ministry of Justice is a subsidiary office of the Minister of Justice, the chief government administration body responsible for the justice branch of government administration.
From 1956 to 1957, Zofia Wasilkowska was the first woman to serve as a Minister of Justice in Poland's history.
Each Minister of Justice between 1990 and 2010 and since 2016 has also been Public Prosecutor General.

## Competences of the Minister of Justice

The regulation defines the detailed scope of the Minister of Justice's competences:
* The Minister heads the department of government administration - justice.
* The Minister is the disposer of parts 15 and 37 of the state budget.
* The Minister's services are provided by the Ministry of Justice.

### The justice department covers matters of

* judiciary,
* prosecutor's office, notary's office, advocacy service and legal counsels, within the scope resulting from separate provisions,
* the execution of penalties and educational and correctional measures ordered by the courts, and matters of post-penitentiary assistance.
The minister competent for justice shall ensure the preparation of draft codifications of civil law, including family law, and criminal law.
The Minister competent for matters of justice shall be competent in matters of the judiciary within the scope of matters not reserved by separate regulations to the competence of other state bodies and taking into account the principle of judicial independence.

## List of ministers
### Ministers of Justice (1989-present)

| Name | Party | Term of Office | Term of Office | Prime Minister (cabinet) |
| Aleksander Bentkowski | United People's Party/Polish People's Party | 12 September 1989 | 12 January 1991 | Tadeusz Mazowiecki (Mazowiecki) |
| Wiesław Chrzanowski | Christian National Union | 12 January 1991 | 25 November 1991 | Jan Krzysztof Bielecki (Bielecki) |
| Andrzej Marcinkowski (acting) | Independent | 25 November 1991 | 5 December 1991 | Jan Krzysztof Bielecki (Bielecki) |
| Zbigniew Dyka | Christian National Union | 23 December 1991 | 17 March 1993 | Jan Olszewski (Olszewski), Hanna Suchocka (Suchocka) |
| Jan Piątkowski | Christian National Union | 17 March 1993 | 26 October 1993 | Hanna Suchocka (Suchocka) |
| Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz | SdRP | 26 March 1993 | 6 March 1995 | Waldemar Pawlak (Pawlak II) |
| Jerzy Jaskiernia | SdRP | 6 March 1995 | 7 February 1996 | Józef Oleksy (Oleksy) |
| Leszek Kubicki | Independent | 7 February 1996 | 31 October 1997 | Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz (Cimoszewicz) |
| Hanna Suchocka | Freedom Union | 31 October 1997 | 8 June 2000 | Jerzy Buzek (Buzek) |
| Jerzy Buzek (acting) | Solidarity Electoral Action | 8 June 2000 | 12 June 2000 | Jerzy Buzek (Buzek) |
| Lech Kaczyński | Law and Justice | 12 June 2000 | 4 July 2001 | Jerzy Buzek (Buzek) |
| Stanisław Iwanicki | Solidarity Electoral Action | 4 July 2001 | 19 October 2001 | Jerzy Buzek (Buzek) |
| Barbara Piwnik | Independent | 19 October 2001 | 6 July 2002 | Leszek Miller (Miller) |
| Grzegorz Kurczuk | Democratic Left Alliance | 6 July 2002 | 2 May 2004 | Leszek Miller (Miller) |
| Marek Sadowski | Independent | 2 May 2004 | 6 September 2004 | Marek Belka (Belka I) |
| Andrzej Kalwas | Independent | 6 September 2004 | 31 October 2005 | Marek Belka (Belka II) |
| Zbigniew Ziobro | Law and Justice | 31 October 2005 | 7 September 2007 | Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz (Marcinkiewicz), Jarosław Kaczyński (Kaczyński) |
| Jarosław Kaczyński (acting) | Law and Justice | 7 September 2007 | 11 September 2007 | Jarosław Kaczyński (Kaczyński) |
| Zbigniew Ziobro | Law and Justice | 11 September 2007 | 16 November 2007 | Jarosław Kaczyński (Kaczyński) |
| Zbigniew Ćwiąkalski | Independent | 16 November 2007 | 21 January 2009 | Donald Tusk (Tusk I) |
| Andrzej Czuma | Civic Platform | 21 January 2009 | 13 October 2009 | Donald Tusk (Tusk I) |
| Krzysztof Kwiatkowski | Civic Platform | 13 October 2009 | 18 November 2011 | Donald Tusk (Tusk I) |
| Jarosław Gowin | Civic Platform | 18 November 2011 | 29 April 2013 | Donald Tusk (Tusk II) |
| Marek Biernacki | Civic Platform | 29 April 2013 | 22 September 2014 | Donald Tusk (Tusk II) |
| Cezary Grabarczyk | Civic Platform | 22 September 2014 | 30 April 2015 | Ewa Kopacz (Kopacz) |
| Ewa Kopacz (acting) | Civic Platform | 30 April 2015 | 4 May 2015 | Ewa Kopacz (Kopacz) |
| Borys Budka | Civic Platform | 4 May 2015 | 16 November 2015 | Ewa Kopacz (Kopacz) |
| Zbigniew Ziobro | United Poland / Sovereign Poland | 16 November 2015 | 27 November 2023 | Beata Szydło (Szydło), Mateusz Morawiecki (Morawiecki, Morawiecki II) |
| Marcin Warchoł | Sovereign Poland | 27 November 2023 | 13 December 2023 | Mateusz Morawiecki (Morawiecki III) |
| Adam Bodnar | Independent | 13 December 2023 | Present | Donald Tusk (Tusk III) |

## Charity regulator

In Poland, the regulation of non-profit organisations is primarily governed by the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice, jointly with regional courts, administers the National Court Register. The National Court Register serves as the official register for businesses, professional organisations, non-profit foundations, public health institutions, and bankrupt debtors.