Rooted in faith, Bolsonaro’s Supreme Court pick gets Senate nod

Flagging in the polls ahead of the 2022 presidential election, President Jair Bolsonaro has one clear strategy: hold on to the constituencies he still has in his corner, and hope anti-left sentiment will be strong enough to push him over the line in a runoff.

Among his key bases of support are Brazil’s Evangelical Christian leaders, who boast significant influence in the country thanks to their ever-swelling congregations. In his first year in office, Mr. Bolsonaro promised to use one of his Supreme Court nominations to appoint an “extremely evangelical” justice to the country’s highest tribunal — pandering to the sector’s wishes of increased judicial representation to push back against progressive rulings on abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.

However, when a first vacancy opened up in October 2020, Mr. Bolsonaro didn’t follow through with his pledge, instead picking a representative of Brazil’s well-heeled political establishment in a bid for increased support in Congress.

Over a year on, his promise has finally come to fruition, with the Senate confirming the appointment of former Solicitor General and Justice Minister — and Presbyterian pastor — André Mendonça as Brazil’s newest Supreme Court justice, replacing Marco Aurélio Mello who retired in July.

As suggested by the time elapsed between the vacancy opening up and Mr. Mendonça’s final approval, this was the most...