Understand how Dino and Gonet’s hearing will work in an unprecedented format

2023-12-13 13:05:39

Agência Brasil/Secom/TSE

Flávio Dino and Paulo Gonet were nominated by Lula (PT) to the STF and PGR, respectively

The Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) of the Senate will hold a hearing this Wednesday (13), at 9 am, those nominated by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) for the Federal Supreme Court (STF), Flávio Dino, and for the Attorney’s Office -General of the Republic, Paulo Gonet.

Lula’s chosen ones will be heard at the same time, in a format never seen before in the Senate.

See what the session will be like:

Dino and Gonet will sit side by side and give an initial presentation. They will then respond to the senators’ questions. The duration of the parliamentarians’ speech and the nominees’ responses will still be defined by Davi Alcolumbre (União-AP), president of the CCJ. The tendency is for it to be 10 minutes each.

The senator’s reply and the nominee’s rejoinder must last five minutes each. Lula’s chosen ones will respond alternately.

In addition to the speaking time, Alcolumbre will inform you at the beginning of the session whether the questions will be asked in thematic blocks.

Voting

After the hearing, two secret votes take place, one in the CCJ and the other in the plenary. After the opinions, it is not possible to know the individual vote of the senators, only the final result.

Dino and Gonet need at least 41 votes in the plenary, separately. In the CCJ, at least 14 senators, out of a total of 27 members, are needed for voting to begin.

If one of the names, or both, are rejected by the Justice Committee, the plenary will be responsible for having the final say.

Regarding the duration of the hearing, it is uncertain. Being approved for a position in the Federal Supreme Court has already taken 2h45 minutes, as was the case with minister Cármem Lúcia, in 2006, but it has also taken 12h40 in session, in the case of minister Edson Fachin, in 2015.

The last person approved to be Minister of the Court was Cristiano Zanin, in June this year, who had a hearing lasting 8 hours.

Since redemocratization, no name nominated by the president has been blocked by the Senate. For the government bench, Dino should receive between 48 and 52 votes and Gonet should have a wider margin.

“The name of Flávio Dino will be approved and that of Dr. Gonet as well. With a vote (Gonet), I dare say, more relaxed. But the senator and minister Dino, who I hope will be the future minister of the STF, with a vote between 48 and 52 votes “, said the senator leading the government in Congress, Randolfe Rodrigues, on Tuesday (12).