MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Edilene Lobo becomes first black woman to join Brazil's TSE

“She becomes a symbol of respect for black women,” TSE Chief Justice De Moraes said

Lawyer Edilene Lobo became the first black woman to join Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE) after she was sworn in as a substitute judge on Tuesday before Chief Justice Alexandre De Moraes, Agência Brasil reported.

Lobo, who was appointed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to serve on the Court, holds a PhD from the PUC Minas university and a master's degree in law from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG).

“It is a great honor to swear in the first black woman minister in the history of the TSE. We know Edilene's competence, intelligence, and work. Today, she becomes a symbol of respect for black women,” De Moraes said.

In addition to Lobo, the list from the Federal Supreme Court (STF) to Lula included lawyers Daniela Borges, president of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) of Bahia, and Marilda Silveira, who works in the electoral area in Brasilia.

According to the Constitution, it is up to the President of the Republic to appoint the lawyers who make up the court. The TSE is composed of seven judges, three from the Supreme Federal Court (STF), two from the Superior Court of Justice (STJ), and two lawyers with notorious legal knowledge, in addition to their respective substitutes.

In a ruling announced Tuesday, the TSE fined former President Jair Bolsonaro R$ 20,000 (around US$ 4,080) for irregular advertising during the 2022 campaign using old fake news content about the so-called “gay kit.” In the previous elections, the court understood as disinformation the posts that cited a non-existent distribution of the kits during Dilma Rousseff's government.

The stemmed from a lawsuit filed by President Lula's camp asking for the removal of content about the kit from the “Lulaflix” page, created by Bolsonaro's coalition during the campaign.

During the trial, lawyers for Bolsonaro's coalition cited that Lula's campaign had also created a website called “Bolsoflix.”

(Source: Agencia Brasil)