The goal is to discuss the public perception regarding the role of the judiciary in the political electoral process and the consequences of this perception to the electoral governance. We explore the Brazilian 2010 elections and the episode of the "clean slate law". Unlike most current studies that focus on perception of the judiciary as a single institution we discuss the specificity of electoral justice as a political power and a public service provider - considering that the electoral judiciary operates, not only resolving electoral disputes but organizing and conducting the electoral process. We add new empirical evidence to an old question: do Brazilians trust or distrust the judiciary? Our argument is that when it comes to the organization and supervision of elections, Brazilians are confident in the judiciary as a guarantor of the fairness of the electoral process. But when it comes to conflict resolution, Brazilians tend to distrust the judiciary - slow, expensive and difficult to use. The educational level is decisive for this perception - the higher the educational level, the more favorable view of the judiciary. The basis for our discussion is given by the results of a survey conducted by FGV Law School a week after the second round of 2010 elections.
Judicial Power; electoral justice; institutional trust; political competition; elections; clean slate law
