Good morning! Today we’re looking at the Supreme Court ruling now set to release Lula from jail. Also, U.S. journalist is assaulted live on Brazilian radio. And the government’s plan to legalize mining in indigenous lands. (This newsletter is for platinum subscribers only. Become one now!)
Lula set for release after Supreme Court ruling
Yesterday evening, the Supreme Court finalized its “Trial of the Year” on whether defendants should begin serving prison sentences before exhausting all of their appeals. With the justices tied at 5 v. 5, Chief Justice Dias Toffoli cast the decisive vote and changed the court’s precedents, ruling that prison sentences may only be carried out after defendants have used every appellate recourse available to them.
Why it matters. While the matter in question was an “abstract case” and did not concern any individual in particular, the biggest direct beneficiary of the ruling is Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The ex-president is currently serving a jail sentence for a corruption and money laundering conviction which has only been upheld by one appellate court, meaning that he will now qualify for release to fight his remaining appeals at liberty.
Minutes after Chief Justice Toffoli issued his casting vote,...