The nomination of Jorge Messias, current Lula’s Attorney General of the Union, to the Supreme Federal Court (STF) by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has sparked strong reactions among legal and political sectors. Among the critics is retired judge Sebastião Coelho, who described the choice as a “mockery” and a “disrespect to the Constitution”, arguing that a lawyer for the president cannot sit on the Court that judges the president himself. For Coelho, the appointment violates the separation of powers and does not meet the constitutional requirements of notorious legal knowledge and unblemished reputation.
The retired judge also questioned whether the nominee meets the constitutional requirements set forth in Article 101 of the Constitution, which demands “notorious legal knowledge” and an “unblemished reputation” for the position of Supreme Court justice.
Sebastião Coelho urged the Senate to reject the nomination, warning that otherwise it would be complicit in the politicization of the judiciary. He emphasized that Messias’s appointment would be another step in the loss of credibility of the Supreme Court, since, the Court is increasingly subordinated to political interests in Brazil.
The speech of the retired judge:
“And who is Jorge Messias?
First, he is a false believer, because a Christian follows the teachings of Christ, and anyone who claims to be a believer must follow the teachings of Christ.
Jorge Messias serves a government that supports abortion, is against the family, and supports censorship.
He is against freedoms and in favor of crime, as has already been proven.
All of this has the legal backing of Jorge Messias, but I have another piece of information for you. All this tragedy in Rio de Janeiro, which resulted, and today marks 2 years since the death of Clesão and 6 or 7 others have already died from adverse conditions, all of this would not be happening if it weren’t for Jorge Messias’s signature. Remember that Minister Alexandre Moraes said in an interview that on the night between January 8 and 9, 2023, he spoke with the Solicitor General of the Union, who is Jorge Messias. And it was Jorge Messias who filed the request on behalf of the union, for Alexandre Moraes to order the arrest of all those people who were in front of the army headquarters in Brasília. Now, I do not worry, nor would I worry, if Mr. Jorge Messias were to reach the Supreme Federal Court in his capacity as a communist PT member.
Everything is fine!
We already have other supporters of this government, so this will be just another one, no problem now. Christian senators, evangelical senators, if you approve this citizen in this condition, it will be a shame for you and for all Christians in this country. Any evangelical senator who approves Jorge Messias will have my repudiation.
These evangelical leaders who are approving, supporting Jorge Messias, are doing it for their own interest.
I’m going to leave here for you the petitions filed by Jorge Messias from January 8 to 9 as well.
He is requesting compensations that amount to 100 million reais.
This is the false believer who wants to reach the Supreme Federal Court, go there as a PT member, own who you are,” concluded the judge.
MAIS: “This current composition of the Supreme Court that is in our country is criminal
Jorge Messias’s background
- Regulation of digital platforms: Messias argued before the Supreme Court proposing that big techs such as Google, Meta, and X should be held responsible for third-party content.
- Criticism of big techs: In international forums, he accused these companies of monopoly and lack of transparency, defending that algorithms should be opened to public scrutiny.
- PNDD: He created the National Attorney’s Office for the Defense of Democracy (PNDD), nicknamed by opponents as the “Ministry of Truth,” to combat what they want that is disinformation. Critics claim the initiative poses a risk to freedom of expression.
- Accusations of political persecution: Opposition lawmakers, such as Senator Jorge Seif (PL-SC), accuse Messias of using the Attorney General’s Office to persecute political opponents and instrumentalize state power.
Political and legal impact
The nomination of Messias reignites debate over:
- Freedom of expression vs. combating disinformation.
- Judicial independence in the face of political appointments.
- Risk of censorship on digital platforms.
- Geopolitics of big techs, since Messias’s proposals directly affect American companies.
