STF Resumes Bolsonaro Trial — Cármen Lúcia's Vote Could Decide Fate
Here’s what’s happening now: the Supreme Federal Court’s First Panel was reconvened on Thursday, September 11, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. to continue the trial tied to the alleged post-2022 coup attempt — and the spotlight is on Justice Cármen Lúcia. She’s slated to cast the first vote of the day, and her decision is being watched because it can either produce a tie that favors acquittal or create a majority that leads to convictions.
So far, two justices — Alexandre de Moraes and Flávio Dino — have voted to convict, arguing that the defendants should be held responsible for the crimes outlined by the Attorney General’s Office. Alexandre Ramagem, Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, and others were discussed with nuance: Dino suggested reduced penalties for some former officials, while still supporting broader accountability.
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What made the schedule unusually tense was Justice Luiz Fux’s long and unexpected divergence. Fux read a nearly 14-hour opinion in which he argued that six of the eight central defendants should be acquitted, leaving convictions only for Lieutenant-Colonel Mauro Cid and Walter Braga Netto on charges tied to an attempt to abolish democratic rule. Because of Fux’s extensive presentation, the court’s president, Cristiano Zanin, postponed the morning session to the afternoon so the remaining votes could be completed.
If a majority for conviction is formed after all votes are cast, the court will move on to discuss sentencing. The list of charges is serious and wide: armed criminal organization, attempt to violently abolish the democratic state, coup attempt, qualified damage to federal property, and deterioration of protected heritage. Alexandre Ramagem stands accused of three specific crimes within that set.
Who’s on trial is being closely recapped: former President Jair Bolsonaro; Alexandre Ramagem; former Navy commander Almir Garnier; ex-Justice Minister Anderson Torres; former GSI chief Augusto Heleno; Mauro Cid; former Defense Minister Paulo Sérgio Nogueira; and Walter Braga Netto, who was also a 2022 vice-presidential candidate.
As the day unfolds, the tone in the courtroom is being described as decisive and tense — a moment in which a single vote could effectively determine whether several high-profile figures are convicted for what prosecutors call an organized plan to undermine Brazil’s democracy.
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