During the Senate hearing to debate his nomination, Zanin pointed out that he will champion the Constitution, that the “STF does not have the role of legislating” and that the judge should not act as a protagonist.

Questioned about his close relationship with Lula, Zanin replied that he will not be subordinate “to whoever he is,” as well as knowing the distinction between the work of a lawyer and a Supreme Court minister.

“In my vision and that of President Lula, a Supreme Court judge can only be subordinated to the Constitution of the Republic,” he reiterated before the Senate Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ), which is evaluating his nomination to replace Judge Ricardo Lewandowski, who retired past April.

Lula recently stated that “everyone expected me to appoint Zanin, not only because of the role he played in my defense, but simply because I believe that Zanin will become a great STF judge in Brazil”.

pll/arm/mem/ocs