Brazil's Senate Rejects Lula's Supreme Court Nominee, First Time in 132 Years
Brazil's Senate rejected President Lula's Supreme Court nominee, Jorge Messias, a significant political blow and the first such rejection in over 130 years. This indicates Lula's unpopularity among key lawmakers as he seeks re-election.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 30, 2026 at 13:58
- 🔍 Collected: April 30, 2026 at 14:31 (33 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 1, 2026 at 07:15 (16h 43m after Collected)
(Central News Agency, Sao Paulo, 29th, Comprehensive Foreign Report) Brazil's Senate today rejected President Lula's nominee for the Supreme Court, dealing a political blow to him. This marks the first time in over 130 years such a rejection has occurred, also indicating the veteran politician's unpopularity among many important lawmakers as he seeks re-election.
According to an Associated Press report, Jorge Messias has served as Brazil's Attorney General since 2023 and is a close legal advisor to Lula (Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva). He also served under former President and Lula ally Dilma Rousseff.
Today, only 34 senators voted in favor of his nomination, while 42 voted against it, failing to secure the 41 votes required for approval. After the results were announced, many senators who voted against, including presidential hopeful Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, cheered in the chamber.
After his nomination was rejected by the Senate, Messias told the media in Brasília: "I am grateful for every vote cast for me. I believe everyone has their mission, and I have completed mine. This is life, there are days of victory and days of defeat. We must accept it."
Before Lula nominated Messias, Brazilian Senate President Davi Alcolumbre had publicly supported another candidate. Brazilian media reported in recent months that Alcolumbre was dissatisfied with Lula for not nominating former Senator Rodrigo Pacheco, leading to tension between them.
Creomar de Souza, a political analyst at Dharma Political Risk and Strategy, a Brasília-based political consulting firm, said that Lula has struggled to cooperate with the legislature since returning to the presidency, and the rejection of Messias's nomination is the clearest sign of this phenomenon.
Lula, who is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term in October this year, nominated Messias to replace Luis Roberto Barroso, who resigned in November last year. Since then, Brazil's Supreme Court has had only 10 members.
Senator Flávio Bolsonaro told the media that the rejection of Messias's nomination was also a response to the improper prosecution by some members of the Supreme Court. Flávio Bolsonaro's father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, was sentenced to 27 years in prison by the Supreme Court for leading an attempted coup.
Flávio Bolsonaro added: "I am not celebrating, but this is a victory for the opposition. Whether many senators can be elected in October will depend on whether voters believe Supreme Court justices can be impeached."
Next, the Brazilian president will have to nominate another candidate, who must go through the same review process before the Senate votes again.
The last time Brazil's Senate rejected a Supreme Court nominee was in 1894, when Brazil's second president, Floriano Peixoto, disagreed with members of Congress. (Compiled by: Chang Hsiao-wen) 1150430
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According to an Associated Press report, Jorge Messias has served as Brazil's Attorney General since 2023 and is a close legal advisor to Lula (Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva). He also served under former President and Lula ally Dilma Rousseff.
Today, only 34 senators voted in favor of his nomination, while 42 voted against it, failing to secure the 41 votes required for approval. After the results were announced, many senators who voted against, including presidential hopeful Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, cheered in the chamber.
After his nomination was rejected by the Senate, Messias told the media in Brasília: "I am grateful for every vote cast for me. I believe everyone has their mission, and I have completed mine. This is life, there are days of victory and days of defeat. We must accept it."
Before Lula nominated Messias, Brazilian Senate President Davi Alcolumbre had publicly supported another candidate. Brazilian media reported in recent months that Alcolumbre was dissatisfied with Lula for not nominating former Senator Rodrigo Pacheco, leading to tension between them.
Creomar de Souza, a political analyst at Dharma Political Risk and Strategy, a Brasília-based political consulting firm, said that Lula has struggled to cooperate with the legislature since returning to the presidency, and the rejection of Messias's nomination is the clearest sign of this phenomenon.
Lula, who is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term in October this year, nominated Messias to replace Luis Roberto Barroso, who resigned in November last year. Since then, Brazil's Supreme Court has had only 10 members.
Senator Flávio Bolsonaro told the media that the rejection of Messias's nomination was also a response to the improper prosecution by some members of the Supreme Court. Flávio Bolsonaro's father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, was sentenced to 27 years in prison by the Supreme Court for leading an attempted coup.
Flávio Bolsonaro added: "I am not celebrating, but this is a victory for the opposition. Whether many senators can be elected in October will depend on whether voters believe Supreme Court justices can be impeached."
Next, the Brazilian president will have to nominate another candidate, who must go through the same review process before the Senate votes again.
The last time Brazil's Senate rejected a Supreme Court nominee was in 1894, when Brazil's second president, Floriano Peixoto, disagreed with members of Congress. (Compiled by: Chang Hsiao-wen) 1150430
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency's "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.