Minister Alexandre de Moraes justifies this by saying that the attribution of the Supreme Court in Brazil does not match the establishment of mandates for ministers.| Photo: Joedson Alves/EFE

Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), said this Friday (31) that he is against the establishment of a mandate for the position of Minister of the Court. The statement was given to journalists shortly after a lecture at the Fundação FHC.

According to him, the “lifetime” of the position would guarantee the “independence and autonomy” of ministers. The speech takes place in the midst of discussions in the Senate to set mandates for members of the Court.

“I understand, and this happens all over the world, that there is only a mandate when a court is only a constitutional court. […] When it accumulates the functions of a constitutional court with a jurisdictional court, which judges concrete cases, as in the Federal Supreme Court in Brazil, tenure is the guarantee that provides for greater independence and autonomy of ministers. Therefore, I understand that the ministers of the Federal Supreme Court must remain for life”, he said in a record in the newspaper O Globo.

A proposal that is being discussed in the Senate establishes an eight-year term for ministers, but it would not affect those who already make up the Court. The president of the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ), Davi Alcolumbre (União Brasil-AP), announced that he can put the agenda to a vote. The president of the house, Rodrigo Pachedo (PSD-MG), has also shown himself willing to discuss.