What does Zanin need to become STF minister?  understand the process

What does Zanin need to become STF minister? understand the process


Lula’s lawyer must obtain the approval of the majority of senators in two ballots to fill the vacant position in the Supreme

appointed by the president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) for the office of Minister of Federal Court of Justice (STF), the lawyer Cristiano Zanin Martins he must pass a Saturday and two ballots to take the oath in the Supreme Court. If you follow the steps, Zanin – who acted in self-defense for Lula during the Operation Lava Jato – will be able to remain in office until 2050, when he will reach the age limit of 75 and will have to retire automatically.



The next step for Zanin to obtain the Supreme seat will be this Wednesday 21, starting at 10, when on Saturday Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ) of the Senate. The collegiate has 26 full Senators in the current composition – one vacancy is open due to the indefiniteness of the blocks. During the meeting, the parliamentarians will ask questions of a general and specific nature to assess whether or not the lawyer corresponds to the powers and skills that the position requires.

CCJ secret ballot

After the round of questions, the senators will secretly vote on whether Zanin is eligible to serve on the Supreme Court. The lawyer needs at least 14 votes to move on to the next phase, the analysis of the Senate plenary.

An STF candidate’s last Saturday took place on 1 December 2021, where the current minister André Mendonca he was questioned by senators for almost 8 hours. It was approved with 18 votes in favor and 9 against. The penultimate one, in October 2020, was held with Cassio Nunes Marchesi and it lasted 10 hours. His consensus was broader, with 22 votes in favor and five against. Both were nominated by the former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

Senate Plenary

In the Senate plenary vote, Zanin needs 41 votes to be approved as the new STF minister. In all, there are 81 senators. If his name is confirmed, the lawyer will occupy the chair left by Ricardo Lewandowskiwho anticipated his retirement from the Court in April of this year.

Possession in the Supreme

There is no precise date for Zanin’s inauguration, if his nomination is approved by the Senate this Wednesday. The expectation is that the lawyer will fill the STF minister’s chair before the suspension of the judiciary begins on July 1. If the inauguration does not take place by that date, it should take place in August, with the resumption of the activities of the Supreme Court.

According to the Internal Regulations of the STF, the ministers take an oath in a solemn session, where they undertake to carry out the “good performance” of the duties of the office, acting in accordance with the Constitution and the laws of the Republic. “I promise well and faithfully to fulfill the duties of Minister of the Federal Supreme Court, in accordance with the Constitution and the laws of the Republic”, reads the mandate of the magistrates.

A tradition which falls outside the official documents of the STF, but which is strictly followed, is for the newcomer to be brought to the court by the dean of the court and the junior minister. If Zanin’s nomination is approved by the Senate, he will be accompanied by Gilmar Mendes and André Mendonça.

Finally, the mandate will be signed by the President of the Republic, by the ministers of the Court present and by the director general of the STF, Miguel Ricardo de Oliveira Piazzi. In the possession of André Mendonça and Kassio Nunes Marques, the ceremony was short, lasting just 15 minutes.

Rejection only occurred with five candidates

In the entire 133-year history of the Federal Supreme Court, only five nominations for the office of minister have been rejected by the Senate. The denials were in the same year: 1894.

The president at the time, Marshal Floriano Peixoto, nominated Barata Ribeiro, a surgeon, and Innocencio Galvão de Queiroz, a military man, for the job. The loophole for naming non-lawyers was that, at the time, the CEO could appoint a person with “considerable knowledge”, without clarifying that that knowledge had to be in the legal field.

Source: Terra

You may also like