Brazilian Judge Rejects Lawsuit to Void Janja’s Top Cultural Honor

Overview

• Federal Judge Marcelo Cardozo da Silva, of the 10th Federal Court in Porto Alegre, dismissed the popular action on January 12.
• A Porto Alegre lawyer had alleged the award to the first lady violated constitutional principles of administrative morality and impersonality.
• The court found Janja’s submitted résumé demonstrated activity in the cultural field and saw no evidence of deviation from the award’s purpose.
• The judge noted there is no legal bar to honoring the president’s spouse and stressed that courts should not replace the president’s discretionary judgment absent irregularity.
• The decision can be appealed to the Federal Regional Court of the 4th Region, and the contested Grã-Cruz honor was bestowed in May 2025 at a ceremony that also recognized 112 people and 14 institutions.