Ministers of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) received him on Wednesday night (18) for a barbecue at Granja do Torto, country house of the Presidency of the Republic, in Brasília.
The dinner was marked by a mild atmosphere, defense of democracy and Lula’s criticism of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and the low presence of women and black people in the composition of the court.
The meeting lasted three hours and was described by ministers as “institutional”, “cordial” and “relaxed”. The event featured speeches by Lula and Herman Benjamin, president of the STJ.
Of the court’s 31 ministers, 23 were present at the dinner, where ribs were served and, for dessert, popsicles. Everyone had to leave their cell phones away from the dinner table. The devices were turned off in a sealed envelope.
Even Ricardo Lewandowski, from Justice and Public Security, left his cell phone at the door, says a minister. Another judge jokes about the situation: “I wish it were always like this. Spending a few hours without a cell phone.”
Lack of diversity
Lula began his speech by criticizing the low representation of women and black people in the court. The president complained that there are only three ministers at the STJ. Herman Benjamin corrected Lula and said that there were five in total – two were not present at the dinner.
The president stated that it is necessary to reflect on the reduced number of female ministers compared to male ministers and improve the number of women and black and brown ministers on the court.
At the beginning of the week, the . Lula did not name it, but he was referring precisely to the STJ.
The court is made up of 33 ministers, but has two vacancies open due to retirements. Lula will have to nominate two new names this year.
At dinner, the president did not signal support for any candidate. Lula recalled in his speech that he never asked anything from any minister he appointed.
Accompanying Lula at the dinner were ministers Jorge Messias, from the Attorney General’s Office, Ricardo Lewandowski, from Justice and Public Security, and Rui Costa, from the Civil House.
Also present were the president’s chief of staff, Marco Aurélio Santana Ribeiro, known as Marcola, and the head of the Presidency’s ceremonial, ambassador Fernando Igreja.
Criticism of Bolsonaro
The meeting is the second in a series that the president seeks to promote with ministers from higher courts. The first was carried out with members of the Federal Supreme Court. Lula also intends to meet with ministers from the Superior Labor Court and the Superior Military Court.
The agenda of meetings with ministers from the higher courts was described by a judge present at the dinner as “a crusade for the defense of democracy”. The role of the STJ in defending democracy was highlighted in speeches by Lula and Herman Benjamin.
The president complained about his predecessor on a few occasions during dinner. When speaking about the need to emphatically defend democracy, Lula mentioned the camps set up in front of general headquarters after the presidential elections and the invasion of the headquarters of the Three Powers in January last year.
The president also criticized the fact that Bolsonaro traveled to the United States before leaving office. Despite the former president denying participation in any coup attempt, Lula attributes part of the mobilization at the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023 to the stance of his political opponent.
There was no statement from the judges regarding the criticisms made by Lula against Bolsonaro. At the end of the dinner, the president posed for a photograph alongside STJ ministers and members of his government. A line formed to greet the president and receive an autograph on the photo that was given as a souvenir.
