Brazil Supreme Court blocks Tocantins land law, curbing illegal land grabbing

The Brazilian Supreme Court (STF) unanimously declared unconstitutional the state laws of Tocantins that sought to validate irregular rural land titles (ADI 7.550). The ruling rejects the statutes that would have transferred public lands to private ownership without verification of origin, environmental impact, or the rights of indigenous and traditional communities. By upholding the federal Constitution's provisions on public land, agrarian reform and environmental protection, the decision aims to prevent further land grabbing, deforestation in the Cerrado and Amazon Legal, and displacement of rural and indigenous populations.

The court affirmed that land registration is an exclusive federal competence and that the challenged laws violated the social function of property, environmental safeguards, and the rights of indigenous peoples and traditional communities. The decision represents a significant legal victory for environmental groups, land rights activists, and the Confederation of Rural Workers and Family Farmers.