Profile
Professor Adam Bodnar is a lawyer specializing in constitutional law and human rights. In December 2023, he was appointed the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Poland. From July 2021 to December 2023, he held the position of the Dean of SWPS University's Faculty of Law in Warsaw. Previously, he was the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Republic of Poland (2015-2021). He is also a former Vice-President of the Helsinki Foundation of Human Rights (2010-2015).
Throughout his career, he has been working with many NGOs, including Panoptykon Foundation (Chair of the Foundation Council), ClientEarth Poland (member of the Program Council), Professor Zbigniew Hołda Association (co-founder and member of the board). Additionally, he was a member of the Civic Legislation Forum operating at the Batory Foundation and a member of the Board of Directors of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture (2014 - 2015).
Professor Bodnar is an author and co-author of numerous scientific publications, in particular on the topic of human rights. His doctoral theses A multilayer citizenship in the European constitutional space received a special prize in a competition organized by “Przegląd Sejmowy” (Sejm Overview), a bi-monthly publication of the Polish Parliament (Sejm). Professor Bodnar obtained his post-doctoral degree (habilitacja) at the University of Warsaw in 2019. His post-doctoral dissertation was published as Wykonywanie orzeczeń Europejskiego Trybunału Praw Człowieka w Polsce. Wymiar instytucjonalny (Implementation of Judgements of the European Tribunal for Human Rights in Poland. Institutional Dimension), (Wolters Kluwer).
Professor Bodnar is a recipient of the 2018 Rafto Prize for his contribution to the protection of human rights and the rule of law in Poland and the 2019 Rule of Law Award granted by the World Justice Project. In 2020, he was awarded the French National Order of the Legion of Honor, Knight Class. The same year he was awarded the Equality Crown by the Campaign Against Homophobia, a public-benefit nongovernmental organization with non-profit status working for the equal rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Poland, and an award from the Janina Paradowska and Jerzy Zimowski Foundation for his social engagement and contribution to the protection of human rights.
At SWPS University Professor Bodnar teaches classes in human rights, implementation of constitutional standards, and analysis of current cases in the Polish law.