Supreme Court’s First Panel Opens ‘Nucleus 2’ Coup Trial This Week

Overview

• The case begins Tuesday, Dec. 9, before the STF’s First Panel, with the PGR asking to convict Filipe Martins, Mário Fernandes, Silvinei Vasques, Fernando de Sousa Oliveira, Marcelo Câmara and Marília de Alencar.
• The defendants face five counts: criminal organization, violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, attempted coup, qualified damage and deterioration of protected heritage.
• An injunction by Minister Gilmar Mendes that limits who can file impeachment complaints against justices and raises the opening threshold to two‑thirds will go to the Supreme Court’s virtual plenary from Dec. 12 to 19.
• The Senate’s Constitution and Justice Committee plans to analyze on Dec. 10 a bill reported by Weverton Rocha that requires citizen complaints to meet a popular‑initiative bar of roughly 1% of voters and permits filings by parties, the OAB and class or union entities.
• Senate leaders, including president Davi Alcolumbre, criticized the injunction as overreach, as the Court last week also sentenced Federal District police commanders to 16‑year terms for Jan. 8 omissions, with execution expected in 2026.