Relevance Filter Now Applies To STJ Special Appeals

Law No. 15,484/2026 has been enacted in August 4^th, regulating Article 105, Paragraph 2 of the Federal Constitution and introducing the “relevance filter” for the admissibility of Special Appeals before the Superior Court of Justice (STJ). The statute had been anticipated since 2022, when Constitutional Amendment No. 125/2022 amended the Constitution to establish this new admissibility requirement.

Under the new legislation, Special Appeals must contain a specific section demonstrating the economic, political, social, or legal relevance of the issue under review, showing that the matter transcends the parties’ individual interests.

Failure to provide such demonstration may result in the appeal being declared inadmissible. Moreover, even where the formal requirement has been met, the competent panel of the STJ may still dismiss the appeal by a two-thirds majority vote of its members, through a non-appealable decision.