Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) faces a crisis of legitimacy, with public trust at record lows, according to a seminar hosted by Folha de S.Paulo in partnership with the OAB-SP and AASP.
Experts at the event cited Datafolha polling from March showing 43% of Brazilians distrust the STF, while those expressing "very much" trust fell from 24% in December 2024 to just 16%.
Patrícia Vanzolini, former OAB-SP president, warned that this erosion makes the judiciary vulnerable to political capture and anti-democratic attacks, stressing that institutional accountability must not compromise independence.
Vera Karam de Chueiri, UFPR professor and STF studies center member, argued that constitutional independence requires accompanying responsibility, stating "autonomy cannot be confused with absence of control."
Conrado Hübner Mendes, USP law professor and Folha columnist, noted the STF's increased political role since the 1988 Constitution expanded its jurisdiction, bringing more politically charged cases to the court. He warned that external factors influencing decisions or perceptions of impartiality pose the real problem.
Rubens Glezer of FGV São Paulo linked the STF's heightened prominence to political coordination failures in the executive and legislative branches, advocating for restoring external coordination spaces to ensure predictable rulings based on precedent.
Participants proposed specific reforms: Glezer advocated a post-retirement quarantine barring former justices from practicing law and more transparent appointment processes. Edilene Lôbo, former TSE minister, called for auditing AI use in judicial decisions while rejecting negotiation of constitutional rights. Vinicius Carvalho of CGU endorsed exceptional procedures to resolve complex issues like parliamentary budget amendments, referencing the STF's ruling against the "secret budget."
The seminar series continues August 17 with a focus on legal precedent and business impact, and August 24 on access to justice and judicial efficiency, featuring OAB-SP's judicial reform proposal.