The Brazilian Way of Lawfare Gets Bolsonaro

A Brazilian Supreme Court panel voted 4-1 last week to convict center-right former President Jair Bolsonaro of leading a conspiracy to overthrow the leftist government of President Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva. Mr. Bolsonaro received a sentence of 27 years in prison.

The verdict is a major blow to Mr. Bolsonaro’s supporters. But many other Brazilians, while not fans of the former president, had also hoped for a different outcome. They’ve been concerned about the politicized Supreme Court for years. Now the high court has allowed the federal prosecutor to bring the former president to trial in Brasília, skipping lower courts, with the express purpose of locking him up. Rule of law be damned.