WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Judges in Poland's top court have written to their pro-government principal complaining that she kept some of them from handling cases.

Seven out of the Constitutional Tribunal's 15 judges wrote to their head, Julia Przylebska, to complain, Thursday. It comes on the heels of mass protests against new legislation that has forced the retirement of some of Poland's Supreme Court judges.

The judicial overhaul pushed by the right-wing ruling party, which has already affected the composition of the Constitutional Tribunal, has been widely criticized. The European Union, of which Poland is a member, has open unprecedented procedures against a perceived erosion of democracy in Poland.

Przylebska insisted she was following regulations.