Legal group contests urgent processing of STJ relevance filter bill in Brazil's Chamber of Deputies

The legal group Prerrogativas has formally opposed the urgent processing of a bill that seeks to regulate the "relevance filter" for special appeals to Brazil's Superior Court of Justice (STJ). Marco Aurélio de Carvalho, the group's coordinator, sent a technical note to the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Hugo Motta, outlining objections to fast-tracking the bill.

The bill, PL 3.085/2026, aims to allow special appeals to the STJ only if they meet a certain threshold of relevance. The urgent request, initiated by Deputy Doutor Luizinho, seeks to bypass the standard committee review process and send the bill directly to the Chamber's plenary session. Prerrogativas argues that there is no overriding event, institutional crisis, or emergency situation to justify skipping the usual legislative debate and examination.

Prerrogativas asserts that the matter is not merely procedural but fundamentally redefines the STJ's institutional function and impacts how thousands of citizens access the court. The group emphasizes the need for public hearings and in-depth technical examination involving the legal community. They also warn that unclear relevance criteria could paradoxically lead to more litigation, contrary to the bill's stated aims.

The note further cautions against the recurrent use of urgent procedures for structural reforms, as it weakens the role of the Chamber's thematic committees. The bill was authored by Senate President Davi Alcolumbre and is intended to act as a filter for special appeals, similar to the "general repercussion" requirement at the Supreme Federal Court (STF).

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a matéria não é meramente procedimental, mas redefine o papel institucional do STJ e determina como milhares de jurisdicionados terão acesso à corte, exigindo audiências públicas, participação da comunidade jurídica e exame técnico aprofundado.