New Delhi, Nov. 21 -- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday appointed Jorge Messias to the country's Supreme Court.

Messias, currently Brazil's Solicitor General, is Lula's third nominee to the top court during this term.

The appointment now goes to the Senate for a vote. If confirmed, Messias will fill the seat vacated by former Justice Luis Roberto Barroso, who retired in October, eight years before his mandatory retirement.

"I make this recommendation confident that Messias will continue fulfilling his role in defending the Constitution and the rule of law in the Supreme Court, as he has done throughout his public life," Lula said on Instagram.

Messias, 45, worked in various federal government branches before be...