BRASILIA, Brazil — Brazil’s Supreme Court is now headed by a black justice for the first time. Joaquim Barbosa was sworn in on Thursday. He became the only black ever to serve on the court when he joined it in 2003, even though more than half of the country’s 192 million people identify themselves as having African descent.
Barbosa, 58, was elected in October to a two-year tenure as Supreme Court president. His election was a foregone conclusion since the court’s presidency always goes to the justice who has served on the bench the longest.