The United States is considering reimposing sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes as relations between Washington and Brasília deteriorate. The measure remains under discussion, with no public timetable or confirmation that President Donald Trump's administration will proceed.
The debate was renewed after Moraes authorized searches involving a former Maranhão state official suspected of providing a journalist with information about the use of government vehicles by relatives of fellow Justice Flávio Dino. Moraes said the material had been obtained and disclosed unlawfully and could endanger the justice and his family. Justice Gilmar Mendes supported that position, while Chief Justice Edson Fachin defended journalistic source confidentiality.
Magnitsky sanctions can freeze assets held in the United States and bar American citizens and companies from transactions with designated people or entities. Washington imposed such measures on Moraes in August 2025, accusing him of censorship, arbitrary detention and politicized proceedings, including cases involving former President Jair Bolsonaro. The penalties on Moraes, his wife and a family-linked company were suspended in December after contacts between Trump and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The possible reversal would add to a trade dispute that began with a 50 percent U.S. tariff on Brazilian products, which Trump linked to demands that Bolsonaro not be prosecuted. The U.S. Supreme Court later struck down that tariff, but Washington imposed a new 25 percent levy on various Brazilian goods in July, reopening the commercial front.
Diplomatic friction has also widened before Brazil's October elections. Brasília denied entry to two Trump envoys, citing a risk of electoral interference, an allegation Washington rejected. The United States later revoked the Brazilian ambassador's visa after Brazil declined to grant formal approval to Trump's nominee for ambassador in Brasília while saying the nomination remained under review. Renewed sanctions would deepen a conflict already spanning courts, trade and diplomatic representation.
