Evangelical pastor ally of Bolsonaro takes over as judge of the Supreme Court of Brazil

André Mendonça, a Presbyterian pastor and former Minister of Justice, was sworn in this Thursday as a judge of the Supreme Court of Brazil, an appointment promoted by the president Jair Bolsonaro, that a magistrate had promised “Terribly evangelical.”

“I promise to faithfully fulfill the duties of the position of minister of the Supreme Federal Court (STF)”, Mendonça said during a brief ceremony in Brasilia, in which Bolsonaro participated after presenting a negative PCR test in the absence of wanting to be vaccinated against covid-19.

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The 48-year-old pastor has been a member of Bolsonaro’s government since he came to power in January 2019 with the fundamental support of evangelicals, a sector that represents 31% of the population, according to a recent survey.

In addition to being Minister of Justice, he was Attorney General of the Union (representing the interests of the State) until August.

His nomination is supported by conservative sectors, since the STF sets the course on sensitive issues such as minority rights, abortion, drugs or access to weapons.

However, Mendonça has stated that no “There is room for religious demonstrations” in court sessions and assured that he will defend “The constitutional right of civil marriage of persons of the same sex.”

He is the second judge nominated by Bolsonaro for the STF after Kassio Nunes Marques in 2020.

After its approval in the Senate, videos were leaked in which Mendonça celebrated the appointment with her family and the first lady, Michelle Bolsonaro, a fervent evangelical believer who was also present at the ceremony this Thursday.

“Mendonça in the STF is a personal victory for the president: he put all the political capital he built to achieve” his appointment, political analyst Creomar de Souza told AFP.

Your swearing in “Has an impact” in the evangelicals, whose support will be key to the far-right president’s aspirations to be reelected next October, he added.

“You can be sure, I will not ask for anything” to Mendonça, Bolsonaro said Wednesday, before adding: “We will not have shocks with him” in the STF.

De Souza recalls that “in strategic votes, Judge Nunes (…) established a position very close to the president ”. “It remains to be seen if this behavior will be adopted by Mendonça“, I observe.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, some STF judges have been key to implementing preventive measures that Bolsonaro opposed, as recently happened with the requirement of the vaccination certificate to enter the country due to the emergence of the omicron variant.

Bolsonaro insists on remembering that whoever is elected in 2022 will appoint two judges to the Supreme Court in 2023: If “candidate” and win, “I would have 40% in my favor” in the highest court, he affirmed.

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Deshawn