Brazil’s Military Court Backs Supreme Chief Barroso in Trump Tariff Dispute

The president of Brazil’s Superior Tribunal Militar, Minister Maria Elizabeth Rocha, issued a formal note on 14 July expressing “irrestrita solidariedade” and full support for Supreme Court Chief Justice Luís Roberto Barroso after his public letter criticizing the 50% tariff imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on Brazilian products. Rocha said Barroso’s response was “altivo e pedagógico,” stressing that a strong and independent judiciary is constitutionally required to protect national sovereignty and democratic order. She warned against “descabidas e inéditas intromissões externas,” adding that Brazil “precisa de paz” to pursue inclusive development. Barroso’s letter, published a day earlier under the title “Em defesa da Constituição, da democracia e da Justiça,” argued that the new U.S. tariff stemmed from an “imprecisa compreensão dos fatos” and reaffirmed the Court’s commitment to judge domestic cases—such as those involving former president Jair Bolsonaro—solely on evidence. The STM’s endorsement signals rare public alignment between Brazil’s military justice system and the Supreme Court amid escalating trade and political tensions with Washington.