Brazil Presidential Candidate Ronaldo Caiado Proposes Strict STF Reform: Age 60 Minimum, 15-Year Term, Political Quarantine

A leading presidential candidate in Brazil, Ronaldo Caiado, has made judicial reform a central plank of his campaign, proposing a series of constitutional changes to restrict the tenure and future political life of justices on the Supreme Federal Court (STF). The candidate for the Social Democratic Party (PSD) announced a plan that would establish a minimum age of 60 for new appointments, impose a 15-year term limit, and mandate an eight-year "quarantine" before former justices could seek political office, directly addressing concerns over the court’s increasing political influence.

Ronaldo Caiado, the former Governor of Goiás, has emerged as a key right-of-center figure in the lead-up to the 2026 Brazilian presidential election, positioning himself as an alternative to the country’s current political polarization. His proposal targets the Supreme Federal Court, the country's highest court, which currently grants justices a lifetime appointment until mandatory retirement at age 75. This system has created a politically charged environment, with justices often making consequential rulings that affect the legislature and the executive branch, leading Caiado to describe the situation as an "institutional disorder."

The core mechanism of Caiado’s reform is to address two major complaints from critics of the current system: the youth of appointees and the perceived political reward for high-profile judicial decisions. By raising the minimum age to 60, the proposal aims to ensure appointees possess a lengthy and recognized legal career before joining the court. The 15-year term limit would eliminate the prospect of a single justice serving for over three decades, a tenure length that opponents argue grants a disproportionate amount of long-term power.

Perhaps the most significant change is the eight-year "quarantine" on political activity following a justice’s departure. This is specifically designed to sever the link between the court and the political sphere by preventing former justices from immediately leveraging their judicial profiles for electoral gains. Caiado argues that the entire package of reforms is necessary to restore the balance of powers and reduce the political volatility surrounding the judiciary, an issue that has become a core political risk for foreign observers of Brazil.

As this judicial reform would require a Proposed Amendment to the Constitution (PEC), its implementation depends entirely on Caiado's success in the 2026 election and his ability to muster a two-thirds majority in both chambers of the National Congress. The proposal, therefore, serves as both a policy platform and a defining element of his campaign as he attempts to capitalize on public dissatisfaction with the high-stakes political battles currently defining the Supreme Court.