Brazil's Senate dealt a significant political blow to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday by rejecting his nomination to the Supreme Court, marking the first such rejection in over 130 years. Only 34 senators voted in favour of Jorge Messias, the country's solicitor-general since 2023 and a close legal advisor to Lula, while 42 voted against his appointment. Messias needed 41 votes to be approved.
Lula, who is seeking re-election in October for his fourth non-consecutive term, had chosen Messias to replace Luís Roberto Barroso, who resigned in November. Since then, the Supreme Court has operated with only 10 members. Earlier, the 46-year-old Messias had been approved by a Senate commission, but the full house disagreed in a secret ballot.
Besides Lula, several other court members openly campaigned for Messias, who also attempted to secure votes from Evangelical lawmakers, sharing their faith. Following the rejection, Brazil's president must nominate another candidate, who will undergo the same scrutiny before the Senate votes again.
The last time Brazil's Senate rejected a Supreme Court nominee was in 1894, when the country's second president, Floriano Peixoto, was at odds with lawmakers. This historic rejection underscores the political tensions between Lula and the Senate.
