Overview
- Lawmakers in both chambers, who voted Thursday 318–144 in the Chamber and 49–24 in the Senate, overturned Lula’s veto to change how multiple convictions are counted.
- The new law applies only the longest sentence when crimes are grouped, which Reuters reports would cut Jair Bolsonaro’s 27-year term to just over two years and could also shorten terms for Jan. 8 rioters.
- Brazil’s Senate, which rejected Solicitor General Jorge Messias on Wednesday by 42–34 in a secret ballot, issued the first no-vote on a Supreme Court nominee in about 132 years.
- The Supreme Court seat left by Justice Luís Roberto Barroso’s resignation remains open, and Lula plans to send a new name soon and is weighing a woman for the job, according to Reuters reporting.
- Opposition leaders urge waiting until after the October vote to fill the vacancy, and Reuters notes that a delay could let the next president name as many as four justices, reshaping the court for years.