Ayres Britto

{{Short description|Brazilian judge (born 1942)}}

{{Infobox Judge

| honorific-prefix = His Excellency

| name = Ayres Britto

| honorific-suffix = JD-PhD

| image = Ayres Britto 2007.jpg

| imagesize =

| caption =

| office1 = 55th President of the Supreme Federal Court

| term_start1 = April 19, 2012

| term_end1 = November 16, 2012

| vicepresident1 = Joaquim Barbosa

| predecessor1 = Cezar Peluso

| successor1 = Joaquim Barbosa

| office = Justice of the Supreme Federal Court

| term_start = June 25, 2003

| term_end = November 16, 2012

| appointer = Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

| predecessor = Ilmar Galvão

| successor = Luís Roberto Barroso

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1942|11|18|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Propriá, Sergipe, Brazil

| spouse = Rita de Cássia Pinheiro Reis de Britto

| alma_mater = Federal University of Sergipe

| footnotes = {{Collapsible list

| titlestyle = background:#EEDD82;text-align:center;

| title = Other judicial positions

| bullets = on

| 2012–2012: President, National Justice Council

| 2010–2012: Vice President, Supreme Federal Court

| 2010–2012: Vice President, National Justice Council

| 2008–2010: President, Superior Electoral Court

| 2006–2010: Effective Justice, Superior Electoral Court

| 2005–2006: Substitute Justice, Superior Electoral Court

}}

}}

Carlos Augusto Ayres de Freitas Britto (born November 18, 1942, in Propriá, Sergipe) is a Brazilian jurist and was a Justice of the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil. He was appointed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and served from June 25, 2003, to November 16, 2012, when he faced mandatory retirement upon reaching the age of 70.

He was the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Brazil from April 19, 2012,[http://www.stf.jus.br/portal/ministro/verMinistro.asp?periodo=stf&id=38 Biography of Carlos Ayres Britto - Supremo Tribunal Federal website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603121924/http://www.stf.jus.br/portal/ministro/verMinistro.asp?periodo=stf&id=38 |date=2016-06-03 }} (in Portuguese) until his retirement.[http://www.stf.jus.br/portal/cms/verNoticiaDetalhe.asp?idConteudo=223966 STF News] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214054924/http://www.stf.jus.br/portal/cms/verNoticiaDetalhe.asp?idConteudo=223966 |date=2021-02-14 }} (in Portuguese) Retrieved November 19, 2012.

Bachelor in Law (1966)by the Federal University of Sergipe, institution of which he would become professor, is master (1982) and doctor (1998) by the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, being guided in the doctorate by Celso Ribeiro Bastos.

Despite his quite short term as Chief Justice of Brazil, he succeeded to conduct many major cases, as well start the trial of the Criminal Action 470 (popularly nicknamed Mensalão), one of the most complex cases in history to be examined by that Court.

He is currently an occasional contributor to O Estado de S. Paulo, a Brazilian newspaper.{{cite web| newspaper = O Estado de S. Paulo | url = http://opiniao.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,cultura-qual,10000064608 | title = Culture? Which? |trans-title=Cultura? Qual? | last1 = Britto | first1 = Carlos A. | date = July 24, 2016 | accessdate = July 24, 2016 | page = A2 | language = portuguese }}