Operation Car Wash’s public enemy number one

On Sunday afternoon, various cities around Brazil saw demonstrations of pro-Jair Bolsonaro groups calling for the impeachment of Supreme Court Justice Gilmar Mendes, the current bête noire of the Brazilian far-right. While calls for the protest dominated social media for the entirety of last week, with a series of different hashtags dominating the trending charts and hinting towards large numbers on the streets, the demos themselves were sparse.

In the week leading up to the protests, The Brazilian Report met with Gilmar Mendes at his Brasília law school and think-tank to talk about how he is perceived by the public, the recent Supreme Court decision to disallow the execution of jail sentences before all appeals are exhausted, and the conduct of former judge Sergio Moro in Operation Car Wash.

Read the full interview below:

On November 17, protests have been called around Brazil demanding your impeachment. Why do these pro-government, pro-Operation Car Wash groups see you as an enemy, or as a threat?

In the U.S. Supreme Court, we have the argument about abortion; in Brazil, the debate is on criminal matters, which is part of the current cultural moment. And they’ve appointed me as some sort of leader.

Why is that, do you think?

In this specific case … I mean, I’m almost the longest-serving member in the court, I arrived in 2002 and I have a certain role in the debate. But in this specific case [to disallow the execution of jail sentences before exhausting all appeals], I announced a change in my opinion, which could have sparked this [opposition].

You mentioned the pressure that exists on the Supreme Court in the U.S., but it would appear that in Brazil it is taken even further, in terms of the attacks you and your colleagues receive online.

In Brazil, our legal process is much more visible. We have public trials, broadcast on television. In the U.S., more informed people do know the names of the justices and what they think, but it’s less visible. But if we look in the past, during the time of racial desegregation [in the U.S.], someone sent me something recently … [Justice Mendes searches through his phone and produces a picture of a flyer of former U.S. Chief Justice Earl...