Lewandowski in Justice: Lula chose to govern with the STF – 01/11/2024 – Bruno Boghossian

Lula described Flávio Dino and Ricardo Lewandowski as a duo. When commenting on Dino’s move to the STF, he stated that the court would have “a minister with a political head”. There was no need to complete the reasoning: for the Ministry of Justice, the president chose someone with the head of a STF minister.

Lewandowski’s appointment reinforces the understanding that Lula chose to govern with the Supreme Court. With the entry of a former member of the court into the first echelon, the president strengthens an alliance with which he hopes to guarantee stability and oppose a powerful and often inactive Congress.

In the previous chapter, with Dino’s nomination, Lula sent a politician to the STF without omitting the value he gave to this credential. The president signaled to allies, several times, that he saw the court as part of the political game and could therefore negotiate political solutions to equally political crises there.

Lewandowski must act in the opposite direction. While Dino builds his own strength within the plenary, Lula hopes that the future Minister of Justice will take advantage of his influence in a deeply corporatist environment to defend the government’s interests — both in the Supreme Court and in other courts.

Lula makes clear the weight he places on the Judiciary in sensitive issues. The government went to the STF to question the privatization of Eletrobras and recover tax collection, and does not hide the expectation that the court can reverse defeats imposed by Congress in the time frame and exemption.

The president seems to assess that the benefits outweigh the risks of the operation, starting with the choice of Lewandowski, who arrives with the inevitable burden of decisions aligned with the PT members when wearing a toga.

Another danger is broader and haunts Lula’s allies. With the pact, the STF accumulated power, expanded its influence over appointments to courts and gained political protection. Hardly any ruler will have the strength to moderate his appetite.

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