The movement, which heads the (Federal Supreme Court), said this Thursday (20) that the vacancy left by the court is an opportunity wasted by the president.
In the note, the movement states that, for the 12th time since redemocratization, “Brazil fails to recognize the legitimacy, competence and trajectory of black jurists who have been building Law and Justice in the country for decades.”
The group recalls that, in more than 130 years of history, no black woman has been appointed to the STF. “This absence is not an accident: it is a portrait of the structural racism that permeates the justice system and power structures in Brazil”, highlights the text.
Mulheres Negras Decidem says that Lula chose to ignore the voices of organized civil society who have been demanding for years that a black jurist be appointed to the STF. Furthermore, it states that the president chose, “once again, a white man, maintaining the exclusionary nature of the highest instance of the Judiciary.”
According to the group, by using the president’s personal trust as a criterion, the choice reveals an anti-republican understanding of the constitutional function. “The Federal Supreme Court is the guardian of the Constitution and Democracy, not an arm of the Executive, nor a space to accommodate allies”, argues the group. “The perpetuation of this logic undermines the independence of the Judiciary.”
The movement remembers that the actions that are appreciated by the STF directly impact the lives of the population, especially women and black people.
“However, from a perspective limited by institutional racism and misogyny, fundamental agendas such as reproductive justice and equal pay between men and women remain paralyzed or interpreted in a restricted way, because the understanding of the law remains stuck in a single, exclusionary and discriminatory perspective, supported by the old excuse that ‘Brazil is not prepared'”.
“By opting for another white man for a term that could last up to 30 years, the President reinforces the portrait of power that he has historically excluded”, he continues. “In this sense, the appointment of women to transitional positions, such as the AGU or Ministries, cannot be treated as a compensatory measure for the historical and long-lasting exclusion in the Supreme Court. The absence of black women in the STF is a long-term democratic deficit.”
The note also states that the president’s political articulation of nominating an evangelical as a nod to this group is mistaken and recalls that many of these spaces are occupied by black women.
“The President’s decision reveals the insistence on a country project that contributes to the maintenance of exclusion, by underestimating our ability to lead, decide and transform Brazil”, highlights the movement, which concludes by stating that it will continue to be mobilized for the cause.
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