Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Marco Aurélio rejects Bolsonaro’s lawsuit against state restrictions
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On Tuesday afternoon, March 23rd, Justice Marco Aurélio Mello of the Supreme Court (STF) rejected a lawsuit by President Jair Bolsonaro against states that have adopted restrictive measures in Bahia, Rio Grande do Sul and the Federal District.
According to ‘Estadão’, the lawsuit filed by Bolsonaro also asked the STF to recognize that the closure of non-essential services can not be determined by decrees – requiring specific law passed by the Legislative Assembly.
The lawsuit, prepared by the president himself, did not have the signature of the General Counsel of the Union (AGU), which usually represents the interests of the President in court.
The situation, behind the scenes, ended up drawing attention, indicating that Minister José Levi Mello do Amaral Júnior, of the AGU, would be in disagreement with the president on the matter. Jurists have already pointed to the overthrow of Bolsonaro’s lawsuit.
The federal government and some Brazilian states are engaged in a power struggle. The state governors insist on determining their own COVID policy and have the backing of the Supreme Court. Bolsonaro, on the other hand, says that he is the president of the entire country and refuses to allow the states to act on their own.
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