The President (PT) chose on Tuesday (27) Carlos Pires Brandão, TRF-1 (Federal Regional Court of the 1st Region), for one of two open vacancies of ministers of (Superior Court of Justice).
Brandão is supported by the Minister of (Supreme Federal Court) and the governor of Piauí, Rafael Fonteles (PT). He was chosen seven months after the STJ set up two lists of three names for the president to select two chosen ones, who will still be sabbathed by the Senate.
Brandão attended a meeting with Lula on Tuesday (27) at the palace of Alvorada. Also present were Ministers Rui Costa (Civil House), Ricardo Lewandowski (Justice) and Jorge Messias (Attorney General’s Office), as well as the Secretary for Legal Affairs of the Civil House, Marcos Rogério de Souza, and the executive secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Manoel Carlos de Almeida Neto.
During the meeting, Lula called the governor of Piauí, who is close to Brandão and who is credited to the choice. For the president, this would be a tribute to the population of Piauí and the Northeast, where he had a significant vote for the election.
According to members of the judiciary, the president also called Kassio in a deference gesture. Nominated by the former president () to the Supreme, the minister has a good dialogue at the STJ and has been approaching the Lula administration.
Like him, Carlos Brandão is Piaui. He also ran for the STJ in 2022, with a background of the countryman, and was defeated, but resumed hard in the dispute started last year.
In addition to the selected judge, the list of postulants from the federal regional courts was composed of Daniele Maranhão, also from TRF-1, in Brasilia, and Marisa Santos, from TRF-3, in São Paulo.
Lula received two Triplic lists prepared by the STJ in October to fill vacancies at the Court, but had not made a decision until Tuesday.
The president decided to indicate only one of the two vacancies because there is still a political dispute for the nomination of the second place, intended for the Public Prosecution Service.
The two seats were vacant with the retirement of two ministers, Laurita Vaz, in October 2023, and Argate Magalhães, in January last year.
Lula would have to choose a name from the list between magistrates who are part of one of the six federal regional courts of the country and one of a prosecutor. There is still dispute for the vacancy reserved for the Public Prosecution Service, which includes the aunt of the mayor of Maceió, João Henrique Caldas (PL).
There was more hurry to definition of the list of which the magistrate was part because he was in danger of expiring the exclusion of one of the candidates, Marisa Santos, who turns 70 on June 8 and is no longer eligible for NPJ appointment. As it could not be sworn in after this date, a new dispute could be opened for the vacancy.
He was left out of the Ney Bello list, supported by the STF Minister Flávio Dino and considered Kassio’s disaffection – who worked to avoid his nomination to the STJ by Bolsonaro in 2022.
Lula has already appointed in his third term three other ministers for the Court: ae.
