Current Minister Flávio Dino is stepping down after being appointed to a seat on the Supreme Court left empty following the compulsory retirement of Justice Rosa Weber, who turned 75 in October last year.
Thus far, 25 people have been convicted by the Supreme Court. Sentences range from 10 to 17 years in prison in a closed regime.
In a year beset by drought in the Amazon, extreme temperatures, hunger, and malnutrition among indigenous communities, Brazil debates indigenous land demarcation. The Milestone Thesis was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, but representatives and senators have approved it.
The court’s full bench convicted six more defendants for their involvement in the pro-coup riots, when the headquarters of the three branches of power in Brasília were invaded and destroyed.
In his inaugural speech, Justice Luís Roberto Barroso referred to the Jan. 8 riots. “The institutions prevailed, with the indispensable presence of civil society, the press, and the National Congress by their side,” he said.
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