I don't have an explainer like that, but I can offer this profile I wrote on Alexandre de Moraes, the Supreme Court justice at the center of the debate. nyti.ms/479XMFs It hopefully will explain that Brazil's Supreme Court is very different, and in some ways, even more powerful than in the U.S.

He Is Brazil’s Defender of Democracy. Is He Actually Good for Democracy? (Published 2023)

Alexandre de Moraes, a Brazilian Supreme Court justice, was crucial to Brazil’s transfer of power. But his aggressive tactics are prompting debate: Can one go too far to fight the far right?

The U.S. Supreme Court largely just decides questions of constitutionality. Brazil's Supreme Court does that — and also handles thousands of other cases and, in some ways, can even open and authorize investigations. Their sessions are televised and the justices have become celebrities as a result.