# Senate rejects Lula's Supreme Court pick — first since 1894 — and he renominates the same man
> The chamber blocks AGU Jorge Messias 42–34 in a historic rebuke tied to its own president; Lula sends the name back

**Meta:** type: story · date: 2026-04-29 · heads: من يقرّر, التحوّل الصامت · 8 takes · 3 lenses · 3 regions

## Summary

On 29 April 2026 the Senate rejected [Lula](/ar/entity/lula)'s [STF](/ar/entity/supremo-tribunal-federal) nominee,
Solicitor-General [Jorge Messias](/ar/entity/jorge-messias), 42–34 — short of the 41 needed — the first rejection of a
Supreme Court pick since 1894. The defeat was tied to Senate President [Davi Alcolumbre](/ar/entity/davi-alcolumbre), who
had backed a rival for the seat vacant since Barroso retired in October 2025. On 29 May Lula
confirmed he would renominate Messias, calling the rejection "political." With no legal bar to
resubmitting the same name, the standoff leaves the Court one justice short while a Lula-aligned
bench finalises politically charged cases including the Bolsonaro prosecutions (see
[STF convicts Eduardo Bolsonaro for lobbying Trump to sanction Brazil's judges](/ar/n/eduardo-bolsonaro-stf-coercion-conviction)).

## By the numbers

- 42–34 — Senate vote against Messias (41 needed to confirm).
- 1894 — last prior rejection of a Supreme Court nominee (132 years).
- Oct 2025 — when the seat fell vacant (Barroso's retirement).

## Why it matters

The rebuke is a rare assertion of Senate independence against a sitting president and exposes the
limits of Lula's congressional coalition. A prolonged vacancy weakens the Court's quorum on
high-stakes rulings, and a forced rerun on the same name escalates a personal contest with the
chamber's leadership in an election year.

## What to watch

- Whether the resubmitted nomination clears the Senate or is blocked again.
- Alcolumbre's posture and any alternative compromise nominee.
- How the missing seat affects pending STF judgments.

## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens)

### unlabelled
- **Senado Notícias** (Brazil, pt) — Official Senate record that the 42–34 vote fell short of the 41 needed to confirm Messias, leaving the STF seat vacant and noting the president may submit a new nomination.
  Source: https://www12.senado.leg.br/noticias/materias/2026/04/30/presidente-da-republica-pode-enviar-nova-indicacao-a-vaga-do-stf
- **CNN Brasil** (Brazil, pt) — 
  Source: https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/politica/senado-rejeita-messias-e-impoe-derrota-historica-do-governo-lula/
- **Agência Brasil** (Brazil, pt) — 
  Source: https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/politica/noticia/2026-05/lula-diz-que-vai-indicar-novamente-messias-ao-stf
- **Courthouse News** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://www.courthousenews.com/brazil-senate-rejects-lulas-supreme-court-nominee-in-historic-defeat/
- **Reuters (via US News)** (Global, en) — 
  Source: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-04-30/brazils-lula-plans-new-nomination-to-supreme-court-after-historical-defeat-sources-say
- **Rio Times** (Brazil, en) — 
  Source: https://www.riotimesonline.com/brazil-senate-rejects-lula-stf-nominee-messias-2026/

### legal-specialist
- **JOTA** (Brazil, pt) — Analyses the constitutional mechanics — no bar and no deadline stops Lula renominating the same name, so the rejection is a political defeat rather than a legal one over the long-vacant seat.
  > "After the historic rejection by the Senate, Lula could nominate Messias again for the STF — there is no legal impediment to resubmitting the same name."
  Source: https://www.jota.info/legislativo/depois-de-rejeicao-historica-pelo-senado-lula-poderia-indicar-messias-novamente-para-o-stf

### Brasília broadsheet
- **Correio Braziliense** (Brazil, pt) — Reports Lula's defiant decision to resubmit Messias, casting the rejection as politically motivated and a proxy fight with Senate President Davi Alcolumbre over the vacant seat.
  > "Lula confirmed he will again send AGU Jorge Messias's name to the Senate for the open STF seat, saying he was rejected for political reasons."
  Source: https://www.correiobraziliense.com.br/politica/2026/05/7430919-lula-confirma-nova-indicacao-de-jorge-messias-a-cadeira-no-stf.html

## Across the graph
- Related: [[eduardo-bolsonaro-stf-coercion-conviction]]
- Entities: Lula, Brazil, Jorge Messias, Davi Alcolumbre, Supremo Tribunal Federal

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Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/ar/n/lula-stf-messias-rejection-renomination