Maranhão Court Diplomates Flávio Costa and Joseane Bezerra

On July 30, the Tribunal de Justiça do Maranhão held a solemn session in the Palácio Clóvis Bevilácqua, São Luís, to confer the Medalha Especial do Mérito Cândido Mendes on two new appellate judges. Flávio Vinícius Araújo Costa was appointed to a vacancy reserved for the legal profession through the constitutional fifth, while Joseane de Jesus Corrêa Bezerra earned her seat by merit on an exclusively female list, reflecting national policies to increase women’s representation in the judiciary.

The ceremony was presided over by court president Ricardo Duailibe, who highlighted the event as a strengthening of the court’s institutional capacity. Joseane Bezerra, after 35 years on the lower bench, emphasized the symbolic importance of her promotion for female magistrates and pledged to serve the justice system with independence, sensitivity, and respect for human dignity.