Earlier this week, Brazil’s first Supreme Court Justice with an Amazonian background, Flavió Dino, was sworn in. Dino replaces Justice Rosa Weber, who retired in September aged 75. It’s deemed a ‘historical’ appointment, as the country’s Amazonian states have had very little representation on the Supreme Court, according to Mongabay.
Flávio Dino had been nominated by Brazil’s President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula) On 27 November 2023. On 13 December 2023, the Brazilian Senate approved Dino’s nomination with a 47-31 vote.
Prior to Dino’s position on the Supreme Court, he was serving as the Minister of Justice. Earlier in his career, he had been active as a federal judge. However, in 2006, he changed direction, entering politics as a federal deputy. He soon became governor of Maranhão and was ultimately elected to the Brazilian Senate in 2022.
Mongabay reports that Dino’s appointment on the Supreme Court follows a lengthy campaign by “[e]xperts, activists, Indigenous advocates and lawyers from Amazonian states” for more Amazonian representation in the judiciary. However, Dino’s appointment also resulted in discontent, as several groups had called for the appointment of the first black female Supreme Court justice.
Flávio Dino’s Thoughts on Climate Pre Supreme Court
In 2021, Dino was among a group of Brazilian state governors who met with United States climate envoy, John Kerry. The group of governors were trying to garner U.S. support for environmental issues in Brazil. Although one of the governors present had said that the initiative did not conflict with the plans of the Brazilian federal government, which at the time was headed by Jair Bolsonaro, they were said to have ‘sidestepped’ the president.
As governor, Dino actively campaigned for a greener Brazil. In an opinion article, he wrote: “We need a transition plan to a green economy that takes into account the region’s existing development framework”. For Dino, such a transition means “adopting a combination of models for production and habitation that create jobs and income for the population, improve human development indices, and reduce disparities”. He is explicit about his views on Brazil’s environmental policies, as he argues that a lack of adherence to these policies signifies undermining “Brazil’s credibility when it comes to handling greenhouse gas-related issues”.
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