Overview
- Justice Alexandre de Moraes suspended the new sentencing law on Saturday, blocking any immediate recalculations while the Supreme Court weighs its legality.
- Lawmakers had enacted the measure after Congress overturned President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s veto, reflecting the clout of Bolsonaro-aligned legislators.
- The statute would shorten waiting periods for sentence reductions, which lawmakers said could cut Bolsonaro’s term to just over two years and reduce time for January 2023 rioters.
- The ruling freezes case-by-case requests that defense lawyers must file with the court, so no prisoner can seek a shortened term until the justices rule.
- Two parties and the press association ABI filed the constitutional challenges, and Bolsonaro’s lawyers sought a criminal review on Friday to overturn his conviction as he remains on humanitarian house arrest.