Brazil's Supreme Court votes to affirm Indigenous land rights in defiance of Congress

FILE PHOTO: An Indigenous person sits while attending a session where judges discuss the so-called legal thesis of "Marco Temporal" (Temporal Milestone) and land demarcation, at the Supreme Court in Brasilia, Brazil, December 10, 2025. REUTERS/Adriano Machado/File Photo

SAO PAULO, Dec 17 (Reuters) - A majority of Brazil's Supreme Court reaffirmed protections for Indigenous land rights on Wednesday, curbing attempts by Congress to limit the recognition of reservations in a ruling likely to stoke tensions between the top court and lawmakers.

Six of the 10 Supreme Court justices have voted to establish Indigenous land rights as entrenched clauses of Brazil's constitution that cannot be stripped by lawmakers, said Deborah Duprat, a former federal prosecutor who worked on Indigenous rights issues for decades.