Favorite for a vacancy on the (Supreme Federal Court), despite opposition from some of the court’s ministers, the attorney general of the Union, , became the main legal reference in the government (PT) and began to be called upon by the president to give his opinion, including on political issues.
This position was consolidated in the vacuum left by one of the main opponents of the Messiah’s choice: the minister. Lula has already warned allies that he intends to nominate Messiah. The announcement is expected to take place this Thursday (16).
Until then without much, Messias won recognition from the president already in the assembly of the government. In the role of legal coordinator of the transition, he worked on drafting decrees restructuring the Esplanada, including defining the budget for 2023.
In the first year of the government, Lula began to describe Messias as efficient and discreet in office, to the point of . The vacancy was, however, occupied by Dino, then Minister of Justice.
Despite being passed over for the Supreme Court, Messias expanded his space by inheriting functions performed by Dino. The head of the (Attorney General of the Union) became the government’s main legal reference, being consulted by Lula in legal disputes.
As head of the Ministry of Justice, Dino faced Bolsonaro supporters on social media. When it arrived at the STF, a gap was opened in the Lula government’s defense. Little by little, Messiah also began to occupy it, as did the ministers (Finance) and (Institutional Relations).
With his contact with Lula, he also began to be selected for political meetings, especially due to his experience as head of the senator’s legal advisor (PT-BA) during the Bolsonaro government.
His firmness in defending the STF and against the proposal of those convicted of the January 8th coup attacks earned praise from Lula, who, in conversations, stated that Messias would be ripe for the court.
The government’s assessment is that Messias was combative in disputes with Congress, obtaining partial validation of the measure that increased the IOF (Financial Operations Tax) rate.
He appeased resistance in the Supreme Court with his firm action in favor of the court and minister Alexandre de Moraes after the financial sanctions imposed by the Donald Trump government in the USA.
The minister made the AGU available to Moraes to question the application of the Magnitsky Law and advised the hiring of an office in the United States to monitor the progress of sanctions against Brazil.
According to allies, Lula should take into account when choosing Barroso’s position the same attributes as the previous ones, especially the courage to face issues that generate tension in public opinion and with whom the president has the freedom to talk directly.
Lula’s aides believe that Messiah meets these requirements and has another asset, which is the fact that he is an evangelical.
Messias played an important role as the Lula government’s interlocutor with evangelicals — a segment that mostly joined former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
He is a member of the Baptist Church, deacon of a congregation in Brasília. He often uses his speeches and social networks to comment on how the Bible influences his views on the world.
The minister was called for the first time by evangelical leaders in 2023, when a resolution from the National Health Council was published suggesting reducing the minimum limit for starting hormonal therapy for sex change to 14 years.
This was one of the main concerns of evangelical segments with Lula’s assumption of the Presidency of the Republic; for a left-wing government to advance on gender issues, with policies on transsexuality for children and adolescents.
Messias was activated at the time by the Evangelical Parliamentary Front of the Chamber. The minister told politicians that this agenda was not defended by Lula and promised to coordinate with the Ministry of Health that the resolution would not go forward.
The head of the AGU took a position on the issue in the Supreme Court. A lawsuit filed by associations linked to the CFM (Federal Council of Medicine) questioned an opinion that prohibited hormone therapy for “the treatment of gender incongruence or gender dysphoria in children and adolescents”.
The minister spoke out in the Supreme Court against the action. “The aforementioned constitutional provisions point to the importance of specificities involving the protection of the health of children and adolescents, including the control and supervision of procedures of interest to health”, said Messias.
He was also called upon by evangelical leaders when the TCU (Tribunal de Contas da União) began to analyze a process that questioned an Interpretative Declaratory Act of the Federal Revenue Service that extended tax exemptions for pastors’ salaries.
Messias participated in meetings with the evangelical bench and brought the case to the attention of Haddad. With Messiah’s promise, the government revoked the Revenue act, but maintained the exemption for pastors with the understanding that article 22 of Law 8,212/1991 already established the tax benefit for religious leaders.
The actions broke resistance from part of the evangelical group and religious leaders. He, however, still faces opposition from politicians closer to Bolsonarism.
Supporters of Messias’ appointment to the STF, including PT ministers and leaders, highlight his qualifications. Remember that, if nominated for the STF, he will be the fourth minister from the current composition of the court to assume the chair after leaving the AGU, following the path taken by Gilmar Mendes, Dias Toffoli and André Mendonça.
They also emphasize that the appointment of another name would represent an empowerment of a wing of the court.
Messias is not affiliated with PT. Considered progressive, he gained confidence through the work he began as a legal consultant for ministries. Attorney of the National Treasury since 2007, he was a legal consultant for the Ministries of Education and Science, Technology and Innovation, under the command of Aloizio Mercadante, and was also Secretary of Regulation and Supervision of Higher Education.
During the Dilma government, it was .
He became known nationally as “Bessias” in 2016, in the episode of the leak of a Lava Jato wiretap, authorized by then judge Moro. Despite there being no irregularities in the former assistant’s conduct, the audio leak recalls one of the moments of greatest rejection of the PT governments.
Afterwards, Messias served as Wagner’s chief of staff in the Senate. Coordinator of the Prerogatives group, lawyer Marco Aurélio Carvalho states that this experience qualifies him for the position. “Today he is at the head of the largest law firm in the country and has achieved victories”, he highlights, in reference to AGU.
Messias has a degree in Law from the Faculty of Law of Recife (UFPE) and a master’s and doctorate from the University of Brasília (UnB).
