Antônio Cotrim / LUSA
The Minister of Justice, Rita Alarcão Júdice
Judicial year opens today without a Church and with a protest by judicial officials at the door. Rita Júdice is not anxious.
O judicial year officially opens today, in a ceremony at the Superior Court of Justice that will have a protest of Judiciary employees, against the proposed career review.
The silent vigil called by the Judicial Employees Union (SFJ), and which the Judicial Officers Union (SOJ) also joined, will be marked by black protest t-shirts, with the phrase “Justice for those who work there”.
At issue is the proposal to career review of these professionals, delivered by the Ministry of Justice to the unions at the end of December as part of the review of their professional status, with conditions that both unions considered unacceptable, such as the division of careers into two and salary increases that the structures do not accept.
“We will be silent dressed in black so that this silence will be an eloquent sign of what is happening in the courts. Let’s hold a vigil like wakes, because this is a death sentence“, said president of the Union of Justice Servants, Antônio Marçal, on the radio.
Outside of official speeches, prosecutors and judges have already made it known, through their respective unions and trade union associations, that they hope that 2025 will not be a year of ‘more of the same’, calling for the resolution of problems, such as the revision of the Statute of Judicial Employees, remembering the postponements caused by successive strikes, and structural reforms, asking that Justice be placed as a national priority and political action, without forgetting the demands for the valorization of their respective careers and the improvement of working conditions.
The speeches will feature the debut of the new Attorney General of the Republic, Amadeu Guerra, at the opening ceremony of the judicial year, sworn in in October, as well as the Minister of Justice, Rita Alarcão Júdice, and the President of the Assembly of the Republic, José Pedro Aguiar -White, new holders of these roles following the legislative elections in March.
The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, is expected to speak today for the penultimate time at this ceremony.
The official ceremony is scheduled for 3pm, in the Noble Hall of the Supreme Court of Justice, in Lisbon, and speeches will be made by the President of the Bar Association, Fernanda de Almeida Pinheiro, the Attorney General of the Republic, Amadeu Guerra; the Minister of Justice, Rita Alarcão Júdice; the President of the Superior Court of Justice, judge João Cura Mariano; the president of the Assembly of the Republic, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco; and the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
For the first time, the Church was not invited for the opening of the judicial year. The decision was taken by the president of the Supreme Court of Justice, the Attorney General of the Republic and the president of the lawyers – all of them Catholics, emphasizes the .
The “lack of room”
It will be the debut of Rita Júdiceas Minister of Justice, in this ceremony. The minister admits that she is looking forward to the moment, but not anxious.
In an interview with , he said that there are flaws in the Portuguese judicial system, such as the electronic processing of legal proceedings, or the slowness of processes.
Asked about the Operation Marquis – which in 2025 should be marked by the beginning of the trial of José Sócrates – the minister guaranteed that the physical space of the Justice Campus will not be a problem, commenting on a news report about the lack of rooms (and works) in the space.
“There are rooms available and suitable for the trial. Certainly, It will not be due to lack of room or works that the trial will not take place. I have no indication that work is needed, or in that room”, assured Rita Júdice.
Looking back, the Minister of Justice indicates that the death of five inmates at the Vale de Judeus Prison Establishment was the most “difficult” moment he has experienced so far in the Government: “It was a moment of great tension, which required a lot of caution and tough, well-structured and considered decisions. And it exposed some weaknesses.”
