The Senate is set to consider 50 government nominations for judges, prosecutors and other judicial posts during a session on Thursday. One nomination, however, has been pushed back until next week: that of María Verónica Michelli, whose bid to become a judge was withdrawn by President Javier Milei amid a growing controversy.

According to local media reports, Milei decided to withdraw Michelli’s nomination — despite having originally proposed her for a judgeship in a La Plata court — because she is the sister-in-law of investigative journalist Hugo Alconada Mon. 

The journalist has reported on several controversies involving the government, including the $LIBRA cryptocurrency scandal.

Under Argentina’s judicial appointment system, the president nominates candidates to fill judicial vacancies, with the Senate responsible for approving or rejecting those nominations.

Since March, the government has put forward around 150 candidates for judicial posts, many of whom had already received preliminary Senate approval. Michelli was among them.

Milei is expected to formally request the withdrawal of her nomination during Thursday’s session.

Even if that does not occur and senators approve Michelli’s bid, Milei still has an ace up his sleeve: he could refuse to sign the appointment decree that would be necessary for her to formally become judge.

Milei justifies decision

After remaining silent on the matter for more than a week, Milei publicly defended the decision on Wednesday by sharing a post on X by former judge and ex-Supreme Court secretary Ricardo Manuel Rojas, who argued that the president has the constitutional authority to both nominate and withdraw judicial candidates.

“Just as a president can submit a nomination to the Senate, he can also withdraw it. You may like it or not, but that is what the Constitution says,” Rojas wrote.

Milei, however, did not address reports alleging that Michelli’s family ties to Alconada Mon were behind the decision.

Last week, Alconada Mon shared a La Nación article headlined: “Government vetoes the appointment of a candidate for federal judge because she is the sister-in-law of a journalist investigating the ruling party.”

“For those asking: yes, this is true,” the journalist wrote on X.

The controversy deepened on Tuesday when federal prosecutor Guillermo Marijuan filed a complaint seeking an investigation into the executive branch’s decision to withdraw Michelli’s nomination. 

Marijuan asked the courts to determine whether the move was motivated by her family ties to Alconada Mon.

Bullrich distances herself

The episode reignited tensions within the ruling party La Libertad Avanza. 

On Monday, Senator and former Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said that, while she supports Milei’s administration, she would vote according to her “convictions” and back Michelli’s nomination, publicly breaking with the president’s position.

Bullrich has recently shown signs of distancing herself from parts of the government’s strategy as political maneuvering ahead of the 2027 presidential election begins to take shape. 

Still, she sought to project unity on Wednesday after meeting with Presidential Secretary Karina Milei, writing on social media that they were “always working together for the transformations led by the president.”

The controversy also drew in Vice President Victoria Villarruel, who reportedly invited Michelli to her office on Tuesday. 

Villarruel and Milei have maintained a strained relationship for much of their time in government, frequently finding themselves at odds on political and institutional matters.