Bolsonaro files suit at Supreme Court to bar restrictions imposed by governors

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On Thursday, May 27, President Jair Bolsonaro asked the Federal Supreme Court (STF) to bar restrictions imposed by the governors of Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco and Paraná to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in those states.

Bolsonaro has been a harsh critic of these state and municipal initiatives, universally known as among the most efficient measures to contain the pandemic.

He calls these determinations a lockdown, although he is technically incorrect.

Bolsonaro’s prior attempt to bar restrictions at the STF failed. The lawsuit was not endorsed by the then Federal Solicitor General (AGU), José Levi Mello, who eventually stepped down.

The new suit is endorsed by the new AGU , André Mendonça, known as one of Bolsonaro’s likely choices for the Supreme Court Justice vacancy to open in July upon the retirement of senior Justice Marco Aurélio Mello.

In the statement, the AGU said that the measures adopted by the regional bodies are “in conflict with the Constitution.”

“The purpose of the suit is to ensure the coexistence of citizens’ fundamental rights and guarantees, such as the freedom to come and go, the right to work and subsistence, along with the rights to life and health of every citizen, by applying the constitutional principles of legality, proportionality, democracy and the rule of law,” it said.

The document stated that health protection should be assessed in conjunction with other fundamental freedoms, citing “devastating effects” that extreme and prolonged measures pose to people, health, family and social relationships, and the health of the population, particularly of the most vulnerable.