Ministers of the (Federal Supreme Court) assess that the head of the (Advocacy General of the Union), , was ahead in the dispute for the nomination of the president (PT) for the court vacancy opened with the retirement of .
The assessment is based on Messias’ proximity to the president. In Lula’s two previous choices for the Supreme Court in the current term, ministers and , the PT member prioritized intimacy and loyalty for the nomination — the first was his lawyer, and the second, his Minister of Justice.
The doubt in the Judiciary lies in the criteria that Lula will use for his third appointment to the Supreme Court since his return to the Presidency of the Republic.
In the scenario in which he chooses a name he trusts for the Supreme Court, Messiah is considered the favorite. According to a report from a minister of SheetLula gave indications that the head of the AGU would be next in line at the STF after Dino took office at the court.
If the president decides to meet the preferences of the political world, the senator (-MG) becomes the main candidate for the vacancy. His support is, and the STF ministers Gilmar Mendes and Alexandre de Moraes.
Lula’s political project for Pacheco was the senator’s candidacy for the government of Minas Gerais in 2026. The parliamentarian, however, does not hide his desire to be a minister of the Supreme Court.
In recent years, Pacheco has built a close relationship with many of the STF’s members. He began to frequent the house of ministers when he became president of the , blocked requests for impeachment of court ministers and, even having left office, remains in good standing in the Judiciary.
On September 24, when Barroso held dinner at his home to mark the end of his presidency at the court, Pacheco was the only parliamentarian present besides the presidents of the Chamber and the Senate.
Another move by Pacheco read as a nod to the Judiciary was his leadership in updating the Civil Code. A commission of jurists met over the last two years to present a draft proposal, and the text is now analyzed by a temporary Senate commission chaired by the senator from Minas Gerais.
Bruno Dantas, minister of the TCU (Federal Audit Court), also has his name mentioned among those listed for Barroso’s vacancy. He has good standing in the Senate and the STF and ran for Lula’s blessing when Dino was chosen. He is not, however, among the favorites.
There is still pressure for Lula to choose a woman for the position. Barroso is one of the defenders of the nomination of this idea, with the argument that women have lost space in the Supreme Court since Rosa Weber’s retirement. Currently, Cármen Lúcia is the only minister at the court.
The chances of appointing a minister by . Lula’s allies claim that he has already chosen women for positions in the STJ (Superior Court of Justice) and STM (Superior Military Court) in recent months.
A Sheet consulted five ministers from the STF and the (Superior Court of Justice) about the dispute for Barroso’s seat. Although the preference of some of the magistrates is for Pacheco, Messias is considered the most likely name.
The assessment is that Lula should not delay in appointing the new minister, to prevent the uncertainty from becoming pressure from groups interested in the appointment. The definition should only occur after the return of the president of Italy, next week, and a conversation with Barroso.
Messias is seen by members of the Supreme Court as a minister with little academic experience and no prominence in legal circles. However, it has good traffic in the Judiciary, in addition to Lula’s trust and support from the PT and lawyers close to PT.
He completed his doctorate in law from UnB (University of Brasília), in 2024, with research on the AGU and Brazil’s development strategies in the global risk society.
During his master’s degree, also at UnB, he studied government purchasing as a policy to encourage innovation.
Both he and Pacheco have sought discretion when defining the name that will occupy Barroso’s vacancy on the STF. Neither of them spoke publicly about the minister’s retirement. Congratulations to the magistrate were made privately.
