The minister of the (Supreme Federal Court) stated this Thursday (9), after , that he could not leave the court before the conclusion of the trial of the central nucleus of the 2022 coup plot, which resulted in the conviction of () for an attempted coup d’état.
“I couldn’t leave before finishing the coup trials. It was my duty to be here, to be on the side of my colleagues. I wouldn’t want to leave in the middle of a confusing moment and I thought that now the moment is calm,” he said.
According to him, who defended a woman for his place on the court, now he “can leave without any major shock, without any major consequences.” The statements were given to journalists as they left the court, after the end of the session in which the official announcement was made.
Furthermore, Barroso stated that he has no aspirations for political positions, a path chosen by Ricardo Lewandowski, for example, who took over the Ministry of Justice, or in embassies or in international courts.
“I want to serve Brazil, if I could choose, to serve Brazil as a public intellectual, someone who looks at the country and thinks things without positions, without these duties,” he said. “My plans at the moment are academic. Writing”, he summarized, adding that outside the court he will have more freedom to do so.
Barroso accepted an invitation at a German institution called Max Planck, in November, and, in January, he will teach a course as a visiting professor at the Sorbonne, in France. According to him, after these two commitments he will think about long-term projects.
“Life is made of cycles and I thought I had done what I could do and that it was time to make room for people who come with other ideas. Anyway, that’s life. We have to know how to give up space at the right time”, he said.
The minister said he defended the German model for supreme courts, which provides for a 12-year term.
Asked about possible successors for the chair, Barroso said he would like to see a woman nominated. The choice must be made by the president (PT), who will nominate the third name to the court in the third term.
“I philosophically, without making a specific choice for this vacancy that is the president’s responsibility, am an advocate of more women in higher courts as a general rule. The answer is yes. But there are capable men and women, but I see it with pleasure,” he said.
According to him, there is still no definition of the official date when he will leave the court. He should still stay for a maximum of a week, time that will be used to analyze the collection he will leave and define some processes for leaving votes.
