He has been criticised by legal scholars[2] and journalists[3] for the supposedly opportunistic political motivations of his rulings, and mocked[4] for his alleged penchant for freeing powerful politicians suspected of corruption.

In addition to his role as a leading judge, Mendes has contributed to doctrine and research, having published many books, articles and participated in academic events.

[citation needed] In July 2008, Gilmar Mendes granted two habeas corpus to the Brazilian financier Daniel Dantas, investigated and arrested by the federal police in operation Satiagraha.

Gilmar Mendes was never able to show any evidence of the tapping, but the attention given the supposed scandal by the Brazilian media eventually ousted Lacerda from his position.

[10] Around the same time in 2008, the Brazilian weekly magazine CartaCapital published a piece on the scandals surrounding Gilmar Mendes, denouncing his connection with the law school prep course among other ethically dubious conduct from the justice, particularly paying R$8 million to buy his partner's share out in the endeavor as a way to silence him about how the institute was administered.