His appointment at Place Vendôme was a real surprise. And made the magistrates’ unions cringe. In July 2020, Emmanuel Macron made a political coup by offering Éric Dupond-Moretti the post of Minister of Justice. The famous criminal lawyer, with thirty-five years of experience, had nevertheless sworn in 2018, on the set of LCI, that “never” he would accept “something like that” if the opportunity presented itself. But the President of the Republic found the words to convince him to put his career as a lawyer on hold and enter the government, and has not let go since.
The Minister of Justice now assures that he does not regret his former life and considers his functions “exciting”. “I loved my job but I am not backward-looking, I want to be in action and I will fight to the end to move the lines of the judicial institution and justice. If I didn’t feel good in my place, I would have gone back to being a lawyer. I will not force myself to live my ministerial role poorly,” he recently confided to 20 minutes.
“An important place on the political spectrum”
Within the government, the Minister of Justice acts as a diligent student. “He carried out important and difficult reforms that others have not done: the Estates General, the reform of juvenile justice… He fought on his budget like no one else. At the ministry, he is flawless,” his “friend” François Patriat, boss of the Renaissance senators and close to Emmanuel Macron, tells us.
The style of the former tenor, sometimes explosive, contrasts with that of his predecessor at Place Vendôme, Nicole Belloubet, often considered too “techno”. “Eric is a bon vivant, with a big mouth, who loves hunting… I think the French appreciate his frankness. He has a real political sense, he is a courageous fighter, who is not afraid to confront the RN. He is a minister who occupies an important place on the political scene,” adds François Patriat.
A non-technological minister
“Three and a half years after his appointment, the Minister of Justice has a real record,” insists those around him, recalling the main measures taken since he took office: law facilitating the change of name, reform of alimony, reopening of courts, “historic” increase in the justice budget. “He does not have a technocratic vision, which is what allowed him to move the lines. When the administration sometimes has certain reluctance, it can shake it up a little. He is someone who quickly understood the political world and who adapted to succeed, who got his texts passed through Parliament. It embodies the successful challenge of civil society,” continues the same source.
The dark side of the picture: his legal troubles. Since his indictment in July 2021, Éric Dupond-Moretti can count on the unwavering support of the Head of State, who returned him to the Borne government in May 2022. According to Bruno Cauvrai, political scientist associated with Cevipof, the center of research from Sciences Po, Emmanuel Macron could hardly have “separated from him too early, given his notoriety”. “It’s not like parting ways with a minister whose name and existence are hard to remember. It would have been interpreted as a casting error,” he analyzes.
The political scientist also notes that Emmanuel Macron has in the past, on several occasions, “supported ministers or people who work with him if they are implicated”. He explains “that this is part of a personality trait of the President of the Republic. “He wants to show that he doesn’t give up his confidence easily, that he is loyal to his team.”
“Rather calm” as his trial approaches
“When we bring to the government personalities as well-known and established in their professional lives as Éric Dupond-Moretti, who is a true star of French justice, it is not to let them go so easily,” continues Bruno Cautres. And to insist on the fact that the Minister of Justice “embodies very well” the Head of State’s project for justice, namely “the rapprochement and simplification of the relationship between litigants and justice”.
On the sidelines of a trip to the Troyes-Lavau penitentiary center, in Aube, the minister confided to 20 minutes to be “rather calm” as his trial approaches before the Court of Justice of the Republic, for illegal taking of interests. “It has been three and a half years since I gave my explanations. You understand that I can’t wait to be able to explain myself,” he assured us. The minister’s legal troubles do not seem to have any impact on his notoriety for the moment. “Eric Dupond-Moretti remains popular correct, with 36% favorable opinions in October, (+ 4 points in one year), 5 points behind his colleague Gérald Darmanin,” assures Frédéric Dabi, Director General Opinion of Ifop. “He remains an important figure in Macronie, with a strong reputation, although the French are very harsh on judicial institutions, which they consider to be responsible for insecurity,” adds the pollster.
“The limit is there”
Éric Dupond-Moretti knows, however, that his political future is at stake. Despite all the respect Emmanuel Macron has for him, he will have to resign if convicted. “It is the general rule that applies,” recalled the Prime Minister, Élisabeth Borne, on BFMTV on October 8.
“There will be no discussion on that,” says Bruno Cauvrai. I can’t imagine the head of state explaining to us that a convicted minister is kept in the government. Especially when it comes to the Minister of Justice. I think the limit is there. It is not irreplaceable. There is no shortage of talented people in France, specialists in justice, who share the objectives set by Emmanuel Macron. »