In a surprising twist, Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Luiz Fux has called for the annulment of the case against former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Fux argued that the five-judge panel currently handling the trial doesn’t actually have the jurisdiction to do so. Since Bolsonaro left office in 2022, he said, the case should have been taken up by lower courts—or, if the Supreme Court wanted to stay involved, the *entire* court should have handled it, not just a smaller panel.
Despite his dissent, the court still looks set to convict Bolsonaro. Two judges have already voted against him, and the other two on the panel were appointed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro’s political rival who defeated him in the 2022 election.
Bolsonaro is facing heavy accusations:
- Plotting a coup to stay in power after losing the election
- Joining an armed criminal organization
- Trying to abolish democracy by force
- Damaging public property and cultural sites
His lawyers continue to insist he’s innocent on all counts.
Fux’s stance, delivered during the trial’s final deliberations, is a reminder of how divided even Brazil’s top judges can be when it comes to Bolsonaro’s turbulent legacy. Photo by Fabio Rodrigues Pozzebom/Agência Brasil, Wikimedia commons.
