The United States has sanctioned Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, accusing him of abusing his authority and violating human rights under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.
The U.S. action, announced on Wednesday by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on social media, cites de Moraes’s role in what the U.S. calls a “targeted and politically motivated effort” to suppress political opposition and curtail freedom of expression.
U.S. President Donald Trump, following the sanctions against Mr. Moraes, indicated his administration’s willingness to extend similar penalties to judges in Nigeria and worldwide who are found abusing their authority for political or personal gain.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the sanctions via a public statement, saying,
“@POTUS and @USTreasury have sanctioned Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes under the Global Magnitsky sanctions program for serious human rights abuses.”
Rubio emphasized the global reach of these measures and warned judicial actors globally,
“Let this be a warning to those who would trample on the fundamental rights of their countrymen judicial robes cannot protect you.”
The sanctions against Mr. Moraes were issued under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, a legal framework that allows the U.S. government to impose financial and travel restrictions on individuals involved in serious human rights abuses or significant corruption. The act is named after Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who died in custody in 2009 after uncovering state corruption.
According to the U.S. Department of State, Justice Moraes was responsible for multiple rights violations, including:
Arbitrary detention,
Systematic denial of fair trial rights,
Suppression of free expression.
The Department stated,
“Moraes abused his authority by engaging in a targeted and politically motivated effort designed to silence political critics through the issuance of secret orders compelling online platforms, including U.S. social media companies, to ban the accounts of individuals for posting protected speech.”
Additionally, the U.S. accused Moraes of authorizing unjust pre-trial detentions and leveraging his judicial position to suppress dissent, actions that violate core democratic principles and international human rights standards.
Justice Moraes was sanctioned pursuant to Executive Order 13818, which implements and expands the Global Magnitsky Act. The move marks a rare and forceful rebuke of a sitting high court justice in a major democracy and sets a precedent for how the U.S. may deal with corrupt or authoritarian-aligned judiciary members globally.
President Trump’s threat to extend similar sanctions to judges in Nigeria and beyond underscores a growing U.S. policy of holding judicial figures personally accountable for systemic injustice and political persecution.
The development is expected to send shockwaves through judicial institutions in countries with weak rule of law and may lead to increased international scrutiny of judges perceived to be instruments of political repression.
