Brazil senate confirms new supreme court justice News
Brazil senate confirms new supreme court justice

The Brazil federal senate [official website] on Wednesday confirmed [press release, in Portuguese] President Michel Temer’s [official profile] nominee for the vacant Supreme Court [official website] seat, Alexandre de Moraes. Moraes, a 49-year-old lawyer, professor and current justice minister, was approved by a vote of 55-13 in the senate. The seat had been open since the January 20 death [JURIST report] of former justice Teori Zavascki. Zavascki was considered a reformer and had overseen anti-corruption measure Operation Carwash [JURIST report]. Left leaning senators objected [Reuters report] to the appointment as a move designed to insulate the Temer administration from review.

Brazil has endured tumultuous times as former president Dilma Rousseff was ousted for corruption [JURIST report] during a time of economic turmoil. Charges have been filed against some of Brazil’s most powerful politicians, including [JURIST report] former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. In late September former finance minister Antonio Palocci was arrested [JURIST report]. In November Rousseff’s lawyers filed documents [JURIST report] with the Superior Electoral Court in Brazil alleging that her former vice president and current President Michel Temer took a large bribe.