Brazil’s next Supreme Court justice and his docket of high-profile cases

After being confirmed by the Senate in mid-December, Flávio Dino, Brazil’s current justice minister, is ready to be welcomed by his peers as Brazil’s 11th Supreme Court justice. 

The judiciary begins its 2024 term on January 8, but Mr. Dino is expected to take office late in February. He will replace former Chief Justice Rosa Weber, who retired in September.

Brazil’s Supreme Court justices inherit the unfinished cases on their predecessors’ dockets. In cases in which the departed justice has already issued an opinion, the newcomer cannot cast his or her own vote, but may participate in other proceedings in the case. 

Justice Weber left a docket of 344 cases for her successor. In some of those, she has already issued an opinion that Mr. Dino cannot change. In others, most of the work will be left to the outgoing justice minister. Here’s a look at some of the most important cases on the docket of the soon-to-be Supreme Court justice.

Mishandling of the pandemic

Members of a Senate select committee that investigated the mishandling of the pandemic by the former Jair Bolsonaro government filed a motion in late 2021, asking the Supreme Court to take action based on the...