Washington, July 30, 2025 – In a major escalation of tensions with Brazil, the Trump administration has sanctioned Brazilian Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing criminal proceedings against former President Jair Bolsonaro. The sanctions were issued under the Magnitsky Act, which allows the U.S. to target foreign officials deemed to engage in human rights violations. The measures freeze any U.S.-based assets held by Moraes and bar Americans from doing business with him.
Trump Media, the president’s social media company, sued de Moraes earlier this year — a case that remains ongoing.
“Today’s action is being taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuse around the world,” a press release from the Treasury Department reads. “Today’s action follows the U.S. Department of State’s revocation of de Moraes’s visa and those of his immediate family members on July 18, 2025, for their complicity in aiding and abetting de Moraes’ unlawful censorship campaign against U.S. persons on U.S. soil.”
It continues:
De Moraes was appointed to the STF in 2017. Since that time, de Moraes has become one of Brazil’s most powerful individuals, wielding immense authority through his oversight of expansive STF investigations. De Moraes has investigated, prosecuted, and suppressed those who have engaged in speech that is protected under the U.S. Constitution, repeatedly subjecting victims to long preventive detentions without bringing charges. Through his actions as an STF justice, de Moraes has undermined Brazilians’ and Americans’ rights to freedom of expression. In one notable instance, de Moraes arbitrarily detained a journalist for over a year in retaliation for exercising freedom of expression.
De Moraes has targeted opposition politicians, including former President Jair Bolsonaro; journalists; newspapers; U.S. social media platforms; and other U.S. and international companies. U.S.-based journalists and U.S. citizens have not been spared from de Moraes’ extraterritorial overreach. De Moraes has imposed preventive detention on and issued a series of preventive arrest warrants against journalists and social media users, some of whom are based in the United States. He has also directly issued orders to U.S. social media companies to block or remove hundreds of accounts, often those of his critics and other critics of the Brazilian government, including U.S. persons. De Moraes has frozen assets and revoked passports of his critics; banned accounts from social media; and directed Brazil’s federal police to raid his critics’ homes, seize their belongings, and ensure their preventive detention.
The announcement comes alongside an executive order from President Donald Trump imposing 50% tariffs on Brazilian imports — a dramatic rise from the current 10% tariff rate — as retaliation for Brazil’s perceived treatment of Bolsonaro.
Why De Moraes Is a Target
Justice de Moraes has issued a series of rulings targeting Bolsonaro and his allies in connection with an alleged coup attempt in January 2023, following Bolsonaro’s defeat in the 2022 election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
De Moraes authorized restrictions on Bolsonaro’s movements, including electronic monitoring and a ban from social media platforms. The measures have sparked fierce criticism from Bolsonaro’s inner circle — including his son, Brazilian Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro — and from U.S. conservatives who claim overreach.
While he is officially still serving as a congressman, Eduardo has been on formal leave from the Chamber of Deputies (Deputado Federal) since March 18, 2025, during which time he relocated to the United States and has engaged in lobbying efforts related to U.S. tariffs and sanctions involving Brazil.
De Moraes also ordered social media platforms — like X and Rumble — to remove accounts spreading alleged disinformation, escalating conflicts with conservative U.S.-based companies.
Brazilian Government Pushback
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva denounced the sanctions as “baseless,” “arbitrary,” and a violation of Brazil’s judicial independence and national sovereignty. He vowed Brazil would not yield to external pressure, emphasizing that their judiciary operates under constitutional legal frameworks.
The Supreme Federal Court firmly defended its authority, with officials and de Moraes himself affirming that all actions were taken within due process to uphold democracy and prevent another coup attempt.
Legal & Diplomatic Ramifications
Critics — including some legal scholars — warn the sanctions could undermine international norms against political interference. Targeting an internationally recognized judge over domestic judicial decisions is virtually unprecedented and may set a troubling precedent for foreign relations.
What to Watch Next
- Diplomatic flare-ups: Expect Brazil to pursue formal protests and economic countermeasures as Lula reaffirms national sovereignty.
- Judicial integrity vs. political influence: Brazil’s judiciary will assert independence; the U.S. response may signal a new model of extraterritorial judicial enforcement.
- Global precedent: Other countries may respond to U.S. using Magnitsky-style tools to penalize foreign judges, raising international legal implications.
- Domestic political rallying: Bolsonaro’s supporters may claim vindication, while Lula’s coalition leverages this as proof of fighting external interference.
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