Overview

• The early retirement of Justice Luís Roberto Barroso created a vacancy on the Supreme Federal Court that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has not yet filled.
• Civil-society groups Plataforma Justa, Fórum Justiça, and Themis issued a joint note with 13 suggested female candidates, including Maria Elizabeth Rocha and Edilene Lobo.
• Public appeals intensified as artists and academics spoke out, with Melina Fachin posting “Nada sobre nós, sem nós” to urge the selection of a woman.
• Media reports continue to list male figures as frontrunners, naming Jorge Messias, Rodrigo Pacheco, Bruno Dantas, and Vinícius Carvalho, with one outlet saying Messias is Lula’s favorite.
• Advocates underscore that the court has had only three women in 134 years and none Black, and Plataforma Justa’s Luciana Zaffalon argues true progress would be the nomination of a Black woman.