Minister stated that the President of the Republic “was suspicious” about his early departure, but that he was unable to speak to the PT member before the announcement
Minister Roberto Barroso, of the STF (Supreme Federal Court), stated this Thursday (9.Oct.2025) that he tried to inform the president (PT) of his decision to bring forward his retirement from the Court. The journalist, Barroso, said that he was unable to speak to the president in advance, but considered that Lula had already “suspected”.
The former president of the STF declared that he intends to leave the Court by Friday of next week, October 17th. After finishing his term, there was speculation about a possible early retirement, scheduled for 2033 (when the minister would turn 75).
To the press, Barroso once again said that, 2 years ago, he even talked to Lula about the possibility of leaving soon after his tenure as president of the STF. He also stated that he even told the president, on Saturday (Oct. 4), that “I needed to talk to him about an important matter”.
Barroso stated that they had scheduled an audience with Lula for Wednesday (Oct 8), but, for political reasons, the meeting had to be canceled. “I was unable to speak directly to him, except 2 years ago, when I said that I had the possible intention of, after the presidency, leaving a vacancy on the Supreme Court.”, he said.
The minister also commented that he intended to announce his departure from the STF after a “retreat”, but, with the repercussions on his retirement, he preferred to bring forward the announcement. “I was going to go on a retreat and I was going to announce it when I got back. But the speculation turned out to be worse than the fact”, he reported.
He declared that he did not want to leave before in favor of the former president. “It was my duty to be here, to be alongside my colleagues“, These.
According to Barroso, the sanctions imposed by the United States government – such as the revocation of the minister’s visa – do not “made no difference” for his decision. For the minister, the sanctions are not “indifferent”, as it has links with North American universities. “I hope this gets resolved, because I think we simply did our duty well“, These.
Next minister
Regarding his possible successor, Barroso stated that Lula made good indications in his 3rd term. “I think there are a lot of good people in the country, and a lot of competent women and a lot of competent men”, he declared.
He also stated that he was sympathetic to the choice of a woman: “I see with sympathy the choice falling to a woman. But I do not mean to say that I am excluding the various gentlemen who also have the legitimate claim and merit.”
Procedural Collection
Unlike Minister Rosa Weber who, before retiring, voted on actions considered controversial, such as the decriminalization of abortion, Barroso signaled that the anticipation of the vote could be a “divisive decision”, which can help create a “even more turbulent environment in the country”.
Before taking up his position at the STF in 2013, Barroso worked as a professor of constitutional law at Uerj (State University of Rio de Janeiro) and stood out for his role in high-profile actions before the Supreme Court, such as the extradition of the Italian Cesare Battisti and the trial that recognized the stable union of same-sex couples.
RETIREMENT
Minister Luís Roberto Barroso, of the STF (Supreme Federal Court), 67 years old, announced this Thursday (9.Oct.2025) that he will bring forward his retirement from the Court. To the applause of STF colleagues, Barroso said that the time has come to “follow other directions”.
“I feel that now is the time to follow other paths. I don’t even have them well defined, but I have no attachment to power and I would like to live a little more of the life I have left without the public exposure, obligations and demands of the position”said the minister, who has been at the Court for 12 years, since his inauguration on June 26, 2013, after being nominated by the former president (PT).
Watch Barroso’s full speech (16min47s):
