Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes is at the centre of a high-stakes standoff with Elon Musk, the owner of social media platform X. De Moraes has threatened to suspend X across Brazil in the next 24 hours if Musk doesn’t comply with an order to appoint a new legal representative in the country.

This order is grounded in Brazilian law, which mandates that foreign companies have legal representation to operate. X’s refusal to comply would be particularly problematic ahead of Brazil’s October municipal elections, where misinformation is a major concern.

Musk, who removed X’s legal representative from Brazil after Moraes allegedly threatened her with arrest, has insulted the justice, calling him a “tyrant” and “dictator.”

Who is Justice Alexandre de Moraes?

Alexandre de Moraes was born on December 13, 1968, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He graduated in law from the University of Sao Paulo (USP) in 1991. After completing his studies, Moraes worked as a professor of constitutional law at USP and later at the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV).

Moraes began his judicial career in 2002 at the age of 33 when he became the youngest Secretary of Public Security in the State of Sao Paulo. He was promoted to the Sao Paulo Appellate Court in 2011.

In 2015, he was appointed as a Justice of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE). Two years later, in 2017, Moraes was appointed as a Justice of the Brazilian Supreme Court (STF) by then-President Michel Temer.

In 2016, Moraes went to Paraguay to destroy cannabis fields in front of the cameras, using clumsy machete blows. This stunt was seen as a way to pose as a “strong man” fighting organised crime.

However, it was later revealed that Moraes had participated in 123 civil proceedings defending the Transcooper company, involved in money laundering and drug trafficking schemes, which raised questions about his hypocrisy.

As a Supreme Court Justice, Moraes has been involved in several significant cases. In 2019, he was part of the STF panel that ruled in favour of imprisoning former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for corruption.

The following year, he was the rapporteur in the STF case that annulled the conviction of journalist Glenn Greenwald’s partner, David Miranda. In 2022, Moraes ordered the suspension of President Jair Bolsonaro’s accounts on social media platforms for spreading fake news.

Alexandre de Moraes, a conservative and former member of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), had been a thorn in the side of President Bolsonaro. Moraes distinguished himself with a policy of “zero tolerance” and denounced the supposed “criminal attitudes” of left-wing movements. He also defended the ultra-brutal methods of the police.

In March 2022, Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Telegram to be suspended in Brazil. He accused the app of not blocking accounts that spread false information and ignoring court decisions. President Bolsonaro disagreed with the ruling.

Later, in October 2022, Moraes was given the power to remove online content that didn’t follow court rules. This was to combat false information and hate speech. He then ordered the suspension of President Bolsonaro’s accounts on social media platforms for spreading disinformation.

Also Read: Brazil’s top court threatens to suspend X in country by Thursday night