The Brazilian Supreme Court returned to work on Wednesday following its January recess, three weeks after a mob of far-right radicals stormed and ransacked government buildings — displaying a particularly vitriolic attitude towards the top court in the land.
On January 8, supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro vandalized the Congress and Supreme Court buildings, as well as the presidential palace. The rioters falsely claimed that the 2022 election was rigged and that a vast conspiracy between the courts and mainstream parties “colluded” to make Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva president.
Their actions capped four years of attacks from former President Bolsonaro against the courts.
Justices, prosecutors, and the heads of the other branches of government all said they would not allow the far-right to intimidate democratic institutions and defended punishment for the rioters, their enablers, and funders.
The inauguration of the 2023 Supreme Court term took place amid tight security, which included the use of an elite group of National Force agents, helicopters, drones, and an integrated perimeter observation center.
In her opening speech, Chief Justice Rosa Weber extolled the Constitution and asserted that attempts...
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