Good morning! President Bolsonaro promises Sergio Moro a Supreme Court seat. A tsunami coming to Brasília? Bolsonaro wants to change Brazil’s income tax brackets.
Sergio Moro to the Supreme Court
On Mother’s Day Sunday, President Jair Bolsonaro announced he will appoint Justice Minister Sergio Moro for a Supreme Court seat as soon as a vacancy is available. Unless one of the 11 court members were to resign or die, that will happen in November 2020, when Justice Celso de Mello turns 75 years old and is forced to retire.
Regardless of his agenda, Mr. Moro does qualify for the job—having served 22 years as a federal judge and having clerked for Justice Rosa Weber in the past. He is also considered one of the biggest experts in money laundering on the bench. But the president said he has promised the job to Mr. Moro, suggesting it was a condition for him to join the cabinet—which raises many ethical issues.
Moreover, Congress could get in the way of the president and the minister’s plans. One group is aiming at pushing a constitutional amendment to raise the age limit for justices from 75 to 80.
Why announce Mr. Moro so soon?
The...