Pinto served as leader of the Council of Representatives during the progressive tenure of Buenos Aires Province Governor Martín Rodríguez, from 1821 to 1824, and represented Misiones Province from 1824 to 1827. He was again elected President of the Buenos Aires Legislature in 1833, but stepped down upon the granting of absolute power to Governor Juan Manuel de Rosas, in 1835.
He returned to public life following the defeat of Rosas in the Battle of Caseros in 1852, and following the September 11, 1852, uprising by the province in a bid for greater autonomy, he twice served as provisional governor: from September 11 to October 31, 1852, and December 7, 1852, until his death.