A Brazilian Supreme Court justice has suspended the implementation of a law that could reduce the prison sentence of former President Jair Bolsonaro, pending a full court review of legal challenges questioning the measure’s constitutionality.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes issued the order on Saturday, temporarily blocking the law from being applied until the Supreme Court rules on petitions filed by political parties and the Brazilian Press Association, ABI. The challengers argue that the measure is unconstitutional because it would weaken accountability for those convicted over attempts to overturn Brazil’s democratic order.
Bolsonaro was sentenced in September 2025 to 27 years and three months in prison after the Supreme Court found him guilty of plotting a coup following his 2022 election defeat to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The conviction was later upheld by a Supreme Court panel. Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing and has continued to challenge the ruling through his lawyers.
The disputed law was passed by Brazil’s conservative-leaning Congress in late 2025, vetoed by Lula in January, and revived in late April when lawmakers overrode the presidential veto. It was enacted on Friday before Moraes suspended its implementation the following day.
The measure could shorten the period Bolsonaro must serve before qualifying for sentence reductions or a less restrictive detention regime. Reuters reported that lawmakers had said the bill could reduce Bolsonaro’s sentence to just over two years, while other analyses suggested it could sharply reduce the time he would spend under stricter conditions.
The law could also benefit people convicted over the January 8, 2023, riots in Brasília, when Bolsonaro supporters invaded and vandalized the presidential palace, Congress and the Supreme Court. Brazil’s Supreme Court has treated the attack as part of the wider coup plot.
Bolsonaro, 71, is currently serving his sentence under humanitarian house arrest because of health concerns. His lawyers filed a new request on Friday asking the Supreme Court to overturn his conviction, calling it a miscarriage of justice.
The decision adds another layer of tension to Brazil’s political landscape ahead of October’s presidential election. Bolsonaro is barred from running, but his son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, has emerged as a leading right-wing contender against Lula, who is seeking another term.
