During the ministerial meeting this Wednesday (17), the president (PT) made a request for his ministers to ask for votes in favor of the vacancy of the (Supreme Federal Court), when it is questioned by the .
“Whoever has a senator friend, be sure to call to wish him a merry Christmas and ask for a vote for Messiah. I didn’t nominate Messiah because he is my friend. I nominated Messiah because he is a great lawyer and the country is grateful for what he did in defense of President Dilma Rousseff and since then he has continued to be loyal. Just so you know, his nomination is based on merit, not because of personal friendship,” he said.
Messias will only take up a seat on the court if he has at least 41 votes in the House plenary. First, it needs to be subjected to a hearing by the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Commission).
Messias’s generated a series of disagreements between Lula and the president of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre (União Brasil-AP), whose preference for the position was the senator (-MG).
At the beginning of the month, Alcolumbre canceled the schedule he had announced for Jorge Messias’ hearing, which gave Messias more time to campaign and obtain support from senators.
Although the change favored the government, the decision was taken under criticism from the president of the Senate towards the government, accusing Planalto of not having formally communicated the nomination. Without this bureaucratic step, the Senate cannot decide whether or not to accept the nominee.
Now, the Alcolumbre na Casa hearing should be held in February 2026.
Messias’ confirmation depends on the approval of at least 41 of the 81 senators, in a secret vote — there will be resistance in the House, which may advance agendas contrary to the interests of the Lula government. The appointment of another white man to the court, made official by Lula in , also generated.
With the confirmation of Messiah’s name, the president ignored the candidates for the position, expanding gender and racial diversity on the court. Today, she is the only minister of the STF (which has ten magistrates, waiting for Barroso’s replacement to fill the last vacancy), and they declare themselves brown.
