Lewandowski retires from the STF with 780 pending cases

Justice Ricardo Lewandowski, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), retires from office this Tuesday (11), after having anticipated his retirement by one month. He turns 75 on May 11, the date on which he would be compulsorily retired. The magistrate was appointed to the Supreme Court during Lula’s second term, in 2006.

Lewandowski leaves office with a collection of 780 processes, which should be inherited by his successor, according to information from Agência Brasil. The next minister should be nominated by President Lula, but there is still no consensus on the new name that will assume the seat on the Supreme Court. So far, the only name publicly mentioned by Lula was that of lawyer Cristiano Zanin, who defended him in the Lava Jato Operation processes.

Lewandowski became known as the minister most aligned with the PT and for his guarantor position. The minister’s most recent decision was to keep the crime news in the STF in which lawyer Rodrigo Tacla Duran accuses Senator Sergio Moro (União Brasil-PR) and federal deputy Deltan Dallagnol (Podemos-PR) of an alleged extortion attempt.

In addition to defending the constitutionality of political appointments in state-owned universities, the minister was also the rapporteur of the action in which the Supreme Court decided on the constitutionality of racial quotas in public universities, in 2012 (ADPF 186).

In an interview with Globo, published this Tuesday (11), the minister said he hoped to have left in the Court “a more guaranteeing vision regarding the rights of the accused” and “more generous” in relation to the rights of “economically less favored” people.

As there is no deadline for nominating the new minister, Lula should deal with the matter only after his trip to China. Before taking office, the president’s nominee must be questioned by the Senate’s Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) and then be approved by an absolute majority (41 votes) in the plenary of the House.