Pacheco defends name to the STJ for Lula and stirs up dispute – 09/04/2023 – Power

The president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), defended to President Lula (PT) the name of the judge Afrânio Vilela for a vacancy in the STJ (Superior Court of Justice).

According to reports made to Sheet, the two met on Tuesday night (29) at Palácio da Alvorada. On the occasion, the head of Congress recommended the magistrate from Minas Gerais to one of the two vacant seats in the second most important court in the country.

The dispute has three other candidates, who also have strong support.

Pacheco’s endorsement strengthens the name of the candidate who was already being pointed out as one of the favorites for the vacancy.

At the meeting with the Chief Executive, Pacheco was accompanied by two senators who play a central role in articulating the choice of new ministers.

He was with Davi Alcolumbre (União Brasil-AP), who chairs the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Commission), the collegiate responsible for examining the chosen ones, and Jaques Wagner (PT-BA), leader of the government in the Senate.

Both defended Teodoro Santos from Ceará, who also has the support of the Minister of Education, Camilo Santana (PT), and the governor of Ceará, Elmano de Freitas (PT).

He has been touted behind the scenes as the other favorite in the running. The fact that he is the only northeastern in the race weighs in his favor. In addition, he is black, which would increase diversity in a court composed mostly of white men.

Opponents of Santos usually associate his name with that of former minister Cesar Asfor Rocha, who exercised leadership in the STJ during the period when Lula was suffering defeats in court. For these opponents, his appointment would represent empowerment to the group that imposed setbacks on the president in court.

Lula has on the table a list with four names elected by the STJ, and he will have to choose two of them. PT allies recall that this will not be an easy decision for the president after the defeats in the judgments he faced in court.

The other competitors are Carlos Von Adamek from São Paulo and Elton Leme from Rio de Janeiro. Unlike Santos, in relation to both, the regional issue is a negative factor, since the court already has several magistrates from São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

The paulista is a name supported by the minister of the STF Dias Toffoli. He also sought support from the PT in SP so as not to be restricted to the Toffoli candidate, who has been criticized by Lula behind the scenes.

Adamek has been working in courts in Brasília for years and also has important support from the legal world and from movements linked to the government, such as the Prerogativas group.

Minister Jorge Messias (Advocacy General of the Union) is also sympathetic to the nomination.

Defenders of Adamek even claim that his choice would help to dilute the power currently concentrated in the hands of a block of 15 ministers, headed by Luis Felipe Salomão.

Judge Elton Leme, in turn, has the support of important layers of the Judiciary in Rio de Janeiro. He was among the most voted in the STJ because he had the support of the Rio de Janeiro wing of the court.

In addition, it sought to strengthen ties with leftist movements in order to sensitize the current government.

Vilela, on the other hand, could be a way for Lula to please Pacheco. The main candidate of the President of the Senate for the STJ was his former adviser Luís Cláudio Chaves, who ran for the seat intended for lawyers.

He even appeared on the six-fold list formed by the OAB (Brazilian Bar Association), but was left out of the list of three names chosen by the STJ to be sent to the Chief Executive.

In view of this, Pacheco began to strive for the countryman who is in the dispute for vacancies destined for state judges.

On Tuesday (29), Lula signed the nomination of lawyer Daniela Teixeira for a vacancy as minister of the STJ – she was the only woman on the list of three lawyers pre-selected by the ministers of the court.

The court has a maximum total of 33 ministers. If Daniela is confirmed by the Senate, 7 of them will be women and 26, men.