Singer says Barbosa's outburst is revealing.

247 – The institutional capacity of Joaquim Barbosa as head of the Supreme Federal Court was called into question by Folha columnist André Singer, following his aggression against Minister Ricardo Lewandowski during a session on criminal case 470. Read more:

Revealing explosion

Joaquim Barbosa's latest outburst, in which he offensively attacked Minister Ricardo Lewandowski during a session on criminal case 470 last Thursday, may solidify a (negative) diagnosis regarding the public persona of the current president of the Supreme Federal Court.

If, as rapporteur, he had already shown signs of intolerance and authoritarianism, his use of the power conferred by the (rotating) presidency of the House to try to silence a dissenting colleague with insults demonstrated a lack of institutional capacity.

This is not about the merits of the issue under debate. It is even possible that Barbosa was right about the content, relying on the analysis that Marcelo Coelho published yesterday in this newspaper. In short, Lewandowski would have, in fact, as Barbosa argued, called into question something that had already been discussed and decided by the judges in 2012.

Lewandowski, however, is within his rights, and perhaps even his duty, to raise any doubts he deems pertinent. The role of the presidency is, above all, to ensure that the rules of the game are respected, that is, that each member of the court fully exercises their assigned role.

If the session coordinator, instead of acting as a magistrate—that is, one who arbitrates with balance—decides to take one side, the sense of justice is compromised.

It is evident that in a matter of such political significance, that is, relevant to the fate of society as a whole, a single moment of loss of control will not compromise lengthy investigative work, legal reflection, and debate. Nor will the psychological characteristics of a particular individual, it is hoped, prevent a more balanced final outcome.

The problem is that, with the entry of Luís Roberto Barroso and Teori Zavascki into the Supreme Court, Barbosa's preferred approach—that of exemplary sentences and punitive fervor—may face increased opposition. Under these circumstances, the anger shown by the rapporteur the day before yesterday will find numerous opportunities to manifest itself.

Regardless, Barbosa's legitimacy is shaky. In a previous situation, having insulted a journalist in an untimely and gratuitous manner, he apologized through his press office. Now, he would need to retract his statement in plenary session, in front of the offended colleague, in a clear and convincing way.

A person with a short fuse is said to have a mercurial personality, traveling quickly, like the Roman god, towards unexpected outbursts of anger. Let's see how Mercury will react in the coming days to the pressure caused by his own mistakes.