Brazilian Chamber of Deputies passes bill to regulate STJ special‑appeal relevance filter

The Chamber of Deputies approved Project Law 3085/26, originating from the Senate, which creates a “relevance filter” for special appeals (recurso especial) to the Superior Tribunal of Justice (STJ). Under the new rules, a petitioner must demonstrate that the issue has significant social, economic, political or legal relevance beyond the parties’ private interests. The relator, deputy Raniery Paulino (Republicanos‑PB), argued that the measure will provide predictability, reduce the volume of pending special appeals and focus the court on matters of broader impact. The text also allows the relator to suspend, for up to six months (or, in a later version, up to one year), all pending cases on the same topic while the STJ decides on the relevance question. The bill passed the Chamber without amendment and was sent to the president for sanction. Critics from left‑wing parties warned that the filter could limit access to justice and favor larger law firms, creating a “class‑based” barrier for poorer litigants.