On Wednesday, August 5, the President of the Republic sanctioned—without vetoes—Law No. 15.484/2026, which regulates the “relevance filter” for special appeals directed to the Superior Court of Justice (STJ). The new legislation establishes criteria for the Court to select appeals that present issues of relevance extending beyond the interests of the parties involved.
Constitutional Amendment No. 125/2022 had already instituted the relevance filter, the application of which depended on further regulation. With the new law, Article 1.035-A is added to the Code of Civil Procedure, stipulating that the STJ shall not hear—via a decision not subject to appeal—any special appeal addressing an issue of federal non-constitutional law that lacks economic, political, social, or legal relevance transcending the parties’ interests.
Rules for recognizing such relevance are also established.
An appeal may only be denied a hearing on these grounds if two-thirds of the members of the competent panel determine that the requisite relevance is absent. The legislation also outlines scenarios where relevance is presumed—pursuant to Article 105, § 3, of the Federal Constitution—and allows for submissions by interested third parties.
Furthermore, once relevance is recognized, the rapporteur may order—with justification—the total or partial suspension of individual or collective lawsuits addressing the same issue nationwide for a period of up to six months; this period may be extended once for an equal duration under the circumstances provided for by law. As a general rule, the judgment of a special appeal subject to the relevance regime will take place in an in-person session.
Against this backdrop, the new legislation effectively regulates the mechanism introduced by Constitutional Amendment No. 125/2022, aiming to reduce the volume of appeals submitted to the STJ and enable the Court to focus its efforts on standardizing the interpretation of federal law and establishing precedents. It is worth noting that Law No. 15.484/2026 further establishes that, upon filing a special appeal, the appellant must demonstrate the issue’s relevance in a specific, reasoned section; failure to do so will result in the appeal being deemed inadmissible.
Thus, with the presidential sanction, the relevance filter is now governed by specific statutory provisions. This represents a significant change in the admissibility review for special appeals and reinforces the role of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) in standardizing the interpretation of federal legislation.
Link to Law No. 15.484/2026:
https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2023-2026/2026/lei/l15484.htm
Matheus Selaibe de Souza | matheus.souza@nascimentomourao.adv.br
Partner – Strategic Litigation Practice.
Ronaldo César P. Fraga Júnior | ronaldo.fraga@nascimentomourao.adv.br
Partner – Strategic Litigation Practice.
