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The most powerful figure in Brazil’s fight against authoritarianism isn’t the president or a military general—it’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. This bald, straightforward judge once hacked through illegal marijuana fields with a machete and now finds himself at the center of a global controversy as he presides over the explosive trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro, once dubbed the “Trump of the Tropics,” is accused of plotting to overturn his 2022 election loss to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Allegations include plans that could have involved the assassination or kidnapping of de Moraes himself. If convicted, Bolsonaro faces decades in prison.
A verdict is expected in the coming weeks.
Hero and Villain
Since overseeing the investigation into Bolsonaro’s post-election maneuvers, de Moraes has become both a hero and villain—hail by defenders of democracy and condemned by an alliance of Bolsonaro supporters, American conservatives, and tech executives. His reach extends deeply into Brazil’s political and digital spheres with sweeping orders to block social media accounts linked to the January 2023 insurrection, sanctions against X (formerly Twitter), and criminal referrals for disinformation campaigns.
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In April, de Moraes ordered penalties against Elon Musk’s platform for failing to comply with takedown orders, prompting an online backlash from the billionaire. “Alexandre de Moraes threatened our legal representative in Brazil with arrest if we do not comply with his censorship orders,” Musk wrote on X. In another post, he called de Moraes “the dictator of Brazil, NOT a judge.”
The tensions escalated and spread to Washington. In July, President Donald Trump imposed 50 percent tariffs on Brazilian imports and revoked visas for eight members of the Brazilian Supreme Court, including de Moraes.
The Trump Bump
As Bolsonaro’s allies denounce the trial and his son Eduardo campaigns from the U.S. for harsher sanctions, American pressure has had an unexpected effect in Brazil: President Lula has embraced a nationalist stance in response. “At no point will Brazil negotiate as if it were a small country up against a big country.” His defiance has earned him public support, with recent polls showing more Brazilians blame Bolsonaro’s camp for the tariffs than the sitting government.
The courtroom drama has also raised questions about de Moraes’ safety. Authorities say a Bolsonaro-linked group called ‘World Cup 2022’ plotted to assassinate Justice Alexandre de Moraes under a plan codenamed Green and Yellow Dagger. Prosecutors allege the group surveilled de Moraes, gathered outside his home, but abandoned the plot only at the last minute.
Despite this, de Moraes remains unfazed. “They can file lawsuits, they can have Trump speak,” he said. “If they send an aircraft carrier, then we’ll see.”
To some, his judicial assertiveness represents a final guardrail against authoritarian relapse. “Without the court’s actions, Brazil’s democracy would be at much greater risk,” Brazilian Representative Tabata Amaral told The New Yorker.
Critics accuse him of centralizing too much power and bypassing the legislative process in his crusade against disinformation.
Brazil’s Supreme Court began hearing closing arguments in the Bolsonaro trial on Tuesday, with a conclusion expected by September 12.
