Brazilian Supreme Court (STF) Justice Gilmar Mendes stated that a verdict will be delivered “within a few days” regarding the constitutionality of a law passed by Congress that reduces the prison sentence of former President Jair Bolsonaro. “In a few days we will have a verdict on the validity or invalidity of the decision made by Congress,” Mendes declared, speaking in anticipation of the 14th edition of the Lisbon Forum, scheduled for June 1–3 at the University of Lisbon School of Law.
“Brazil gave a very effective response to this situation. Quite differently, in fact, from how the Americans handled their January 6. Here, former President Bolsonaro was held accountable,” Mendes noted, referencing the Supreme Court proceedings that led to the conviction of hundreds of individuals, including Jair Bolsonaro, four four-star generals, and a former defense minister.
In December 2025, the Brazilian Congress approved a legislative proposal known as the “Dosimetry Bill” (PL da Dosimetria), which eases sentencing guidelines for those convicted of attempting a coup d’état. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva issued a total veto against the bill in January, but National Congress overrode the presidential veto, leading Senate President Davi Alcolumbre to formally promulgate the law on May 8.
Just one day after its promulgation, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes suspended the law’s implementation until the full plenary bench could review its constitutionality. The legislation directly impacts those convicted for the January 8, 2023, attacks on the headquarters of the branches of government in Brasília.
Read more about this topic: Brazil: prosecutors seek conviction of Bolsonaro’s son (with video)
The Brazilian Supreme Court sentenced Bolsonaro to 27 years and three months in prison for attempting to violently abolish the democratic state of law and attempting a coup d’état. Arrested under judicial order in November, the former president has been serving his sentence under house arrest in Brasília for the past month due to health concerns.
Under current rules, he must serve five years and 11 months to progress to a semi-open prison regime; under the calculations of the new legislative proposal, that requirement would drop to three years and three months.
“There was a movement toward amnesty,” Mendes observed. “Perhaps fearful that the Supreme Court would not permit an amnesty—understanding it to cover crimes of vandalism, attacks on institutions, and crimes against democracy—they instead pursued a path of mitigating the penalties. We will wait for the rapporteur, who in this case is Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who has requested all necessary information. We will now examine this issue closely.”
When questioned about the possibility of President Lula da Silva resubmitting the nomination of Jorge Messias to the Supreme Court before October’s presidential elections—following an unprecedented rejection by the Senate—Mendes was definitive: “We are very close to the elections.” Messias, 46, was rejected in a 42-34 vote, becoming the first Supreme Court nominee blocked by the Senate in more than 130 years of Brazilian republican history.
Read more about this topic: Brazil: Supreme Court suspends law that could reduce Bolsonaro’s sentence
“Shortly, once the World Cup concludes—which I hope we win—people will begin to look at the elections with greater scrutiny and attention,” the justice concluded. “From October onward, we will have a completely different scenario in Brazil, discussing a new government. At that point, other developments may follow.”
