Barroso considers bringing forward his departure from the Supreme Court due to the 'crisis of civility'.
Minister considers early retirement after leaving the presidency of the Supreme Court and speaks out about the degradation of the institutional environment.
247 - Disenchanted with the current state of global politics, Minister Luís Roberto Barroso, president of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), has signaled the possibility of leaving the Court before the mandatory retirement age, scheduled for 2032. This information was released by... CNN Brazil with reporter Signed by Luísa Martins, Isabel Mega and Gustavo Uribe.
According to sources close to him, Barroso is considering announcing his departure after the end of his term as president of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) in September of this year. Although he has not yet made a definitive decision, the possibility of early retirement is being treated with increasing seriousness behind the scenes. The 67-year-old minister could remain on the Court until he is 75, but he believes that his cycle as a magistrate may be coming to an end.
The main reason would be a feeling of discouragement in the face of what he describes as a "crisis of civility" on a global scale. Barroso believes that the institutional environment has become more hostile and less conducive to rational and constructive debate, which has eroded his enthusiasm for public service. The tension in relations with the United States is also weighing on his reflection.
Sources report that Barroso was one of the Brazilian ministers whose American visas were canceled at the beginning of President Donald Trump's second term in 2025. The Republican sees Barroso as a close ally of Alexandre de Moraes, his main antagonist in the Brazilian judiciary. Unlike Moraes, who downplayed the effects of the measure, Barroso felt personally affected, as he maintains academic ties with institutions such as the Harvard Kennedy School in the US and often spends time in the country during his vacations.
Furthermore, Barroso has been reflecting on his future at the Supreme Court after his presidency. He will join the Court's Second Chamber, alongside Justices Edson Fachin, Dias Toffoli, Gilmar Mendes, André Mendonça, and Nunes Marques—a group with which he has less affinity. Since arriving at the Supreme Court in 2013, Barroso has served in the First Chamber, where he built closer relationships.
Barroso's potential departure would open a new vacancy for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to nominate someone to the Supreme Federal Court (STF) during his current term. Among those considered are the current Attorney General of the Union, Jorge Messias, and the president of the Superior Military Court (STM), Minister Maria Elizabeth Rocha. Both have the support of influential sectors of the government.
Even without an announced decision, Barroso's possible retirement is already stirring things up behind the scenes in the Judiciary and the Executive branches. Should he choose to leave the Court, the minister plans to dedicate himself to academic life as a professor and lecturer, but he would also be open to a possible diplomatic appointment. For him, the moment calls for distance and reflection.
"There are times when retreat is the only dignified form of resistance," the minister reportedly confided to those close to him—a phrase that sums up the spirit of the upcoming election.
