At the time of his retirement, he was one of the two members of the Court with a prior career as a judge (beside Luiz Fux).

He is known for his collected demeanor and his ample juridical knowledge, even among Brazil's most important jurists.

When Peluso became the President of the STF, analysts such as journalist Elio Gaspari pointed out that his reserved style is a contrast to that of Gilmar Mendes, Peluso's predecessor, who is regarded as a more outspoken figure.

[2] However, both judges often agree on juridical decisions; they generally stand on the Court's conservative and textualist wing.

On December 16, 2010, he stated that the Supreme Court of Brazil would not review the Amnesty Law on the part which grants immunity to prosecution for former torturers of the oppressive military regime that, after the 1964 coup, installed a 20-year-long dictatorship in Brazil.