Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has removed Eduardo Bolsonaro and Carlos Bolsonaro from the list of defence witnesses in the ‘nucleus 2’ criminal action that examines a plan to obstruct the 2022 presidential election result. In a 1 July ruling, Moraes said the brothers—both under related investigations and sons of co-defendant and former president Jair Bolsonaro—cannot testify because parties with direct involvement in connected probes may not serve as witnesses. The cancelled depositions had been requested by the defence of former presidential adviser Filipe Martins. In a separate order issued on 8 July, Moraes set a timetable for the next phase of the sprawling case. Witnesses linked to ‘nucleus 4’, accused of orchestrating a disinformation campaign to undermine Brazil’s electronic voting system, will be heard between 14 and 16 July. Testimonies for ‘nucleus 3’, which prosecutors say comprises special-forces soldiers known as the “kids pretos” who allegedly plotted violent actions, are scheduled for 21-23 July. The hearings will take place by videoconference and will include figures such as Defence Minister José Múcio and PL party chief Valdemar Costa Neto, cited by prosecution and defence teams. The coup-plot case encompasses five interconnected groups and names Jair Bolsonaro and 33 others for attempted violent abolition of the democratic state, attempted coup d’état and participation in an armed criminal organisation. With the witness phase for nuclei 1 and 2 already under way, Moraes’ latest orders keep the investigation on course for trial later this year.