Brazil’s Supreme Court Limits Constitutional Protections for Politicians

High court voted to restrict the kinds of cases which federal officials can be tried only at the backlogged Supreme Court

SÃO PAULO—Brazil’s Supreme Court voted Thursday to limit a constitutional protection that has been criticized for allowing scores of the country’s politicians to avoid prosecution while still in office.

The 11-member high court voted to restrict the kinds of cases for which federal senators and congressmen enjoy a special legal standing that permits them to be tried only in the country’s backlogged Supreme Court.

The...