Rosa’s final speech defends gender equality – 09/27/2023 – Power

In her last session as president of the STF (Supreme Federal Court), minister Rosa Weber stated this Wednesday (27) that the coup attack of January 8th can never be repeated, but must also be remembered as a driver of strengthening the State democratic law.

“[Deve ser lembrado] in view of the union and immediate and firm response of the constituted Powers to the villainy practiced and contrary to what that hostile horde intended”, said Rosa, in a speech at the end of the Supreme Court session.

She became emotional and even cried during her speech — which had already occurred during an appointment on Tuesday (26) at the CNJ (National Council of Justice).

“Resistance, resilience and solidarity were stamped in the metaphor of crossing Praça dos Três Poderes, from Planalto to Supremo — the one most affected by villainism”, he recalled, when members of the Supremo, Planalto and Congress walked from one building to another after the attacks.

“All of us symbolically held hands, avoiding the stones, the broken glass, the rubber bullet cartridges that littered the square’s floor,” he stated.

In her speech, Rosa also highlighted the CNJ resolution that approved the creation of a gender alternation rule when filling vacancies for the second instance of the Judiciary.

The minister will hand over command of the Supreme Court this Thursday (28) to Luís Roberto Barroso, who is expected to remain at the head of the court and the CNJ until 2025.

She turns 75 next Monday (2), the age limit for retirement for magistrates.

To the other ministers, she delivered a 289-page management report in which she states that the Supreme Court has “its gaze fixed on the constant dignification of our democratic society” and “remains firm, vigilant and resilient in defending democratic values ​​and implementing promises civilizing aspects of the Constitution of the Republic”.

Throughout this Wednesday’s session, the Supreme Court ministers praised the president and highlighted her role in leading the court over the last year.

Rosa took over the Supreme Court in September last year, still during the government of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and with strained relations between the court and the Palácio do Planalto.

When giving her first speech as president of the STF, the minister stated, to applause, that non-compliance with court orders cannot be considered — which Bolsonaro had already threatened to do in his clash with court ministers.

“Non-compliance with court orders should not even be considered in a democratic rule of law,” said Rosa.

She was also at the head of the Supreme Court during the January 8 coup attacks. Despite the destruction of the court’s headquarters, the court’s plenary was already renovated on February 1, for the opening session of the Judiciary’s year.

At the time, the president of the Supreme Court gave a speech with messages to the coup plotters who vandalized the headquarters of the three Powers on January 8, whom she called “enemies of freedom”, promised to hold everyone accountable and said that democracy “remains unshakable”.

“Possessed with an irrational, almost pathological hatred, the vandals, with total disregard for the republic and imbued with the audacity of ignorance, destroyed public property subject to special protection, such as those listed as historical heritage, furniture, carpets and works of art,” he said.

Shortly before Rosa’s presidency ended, the first actions against the defendants of January 8 began to be tried and condemned, both in the physical and virtual plenary.

During Rosa’s administration, an amendment was also approved in the STF’s internal regulations that imposed a deadline for the return of review requests (more time for analyzing processes) and that also restricted the individual decisions of ministers.

The minister highlighted this amendment as one of the merits of her management in the management report.

“A deadline of 90 days was set for the return of completed records for viewing, with automatic release for the continuation of the trial after this deadline has passed. This important initiative resulted in
considerable reduction in the collection of concentrated control processes”, states in the document.

On the other hand, from the perspective of implementing the collegial principle, a virtue of the Democratic Rule of Law, the changes promoted by Regimental Amendment 58/2022 resulted in an increase in the number of cases judged by the Plenary in the first half of 2023 compared to the entire
year 2022, in clear reinforcement of collegiality and efficiency of the decision-making process”, he said.

The minister also said that one of her main achievements was the launch of the first Brazilian Constitution translated into the indigenous Nheengatu language, known as modern Tupi.

“The Citizen Constitution in Nheengatu constitutes a significant instrument for preserving cultures
indigenous peoples and the inclusion of original peoples towards the substantive equality advocated as a right for all citizens”, he stated.