Alexandre de Moraes

Alexandre de Moraes (born 13 December 1968 in São Paulo) is a Brazilian jurist, currently a justice of the Supreme Federal Court.

His Excellency Alexandre de Moraes
Justice of the Supreme Federal Court
Incumbent
Assumed office 22 March 2017
Appointed by	Michel Temer
Preceded by	Teori Zavascki
Minister of Justice and Public Security
In office 12 May 2016 – 22 February 2017[lower-alpha 1]
President	Michel Temer
Preceded by	Eugênio Aragão
Succeeded by	José Levi do Amaral (acting)
Personal details
Born	13 September 1968 São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Political party	PSDB (2015–2017)
Spouse(s)	Viviane Barci de Moraes
Alma mater	University of São Paulo (LL.B, JD)
Other judicial positions 2020–: Effective Justice, Superior Electoral Court 2017–2020: Substitute Justice, Superior Electoral Court 2005–2007: Counselor, National Justice Council Other offices held 2015–2016: Secretary, Public Security (São Paulo) 2002–2005: Secretary, Justice (São Paulo)

Life

Moraes is an associate professor of the Law School, University of São Paulo (USP). Doctored in State Law in the same university under the supervision of professor Dalmo Dallari, he presented a thesis about constitutional jurisdiction.

He was nominated minister of the Supreme Federal Court by president Michel Temer on 22 February 2017, succeeding minister Teori Zavascki, who died 19 January 2017 in a plane crash.[2] He assumed office on 22 March 2017.

On June 2020, 10, Mr Moraes - in response to a legal challenge from three political parties - said the health ministry must "fully re-establish the daily divulgation of epidemiological data on the Covid-19 pandemic", including on its website: «Mr Moraes gave Mr Bolsonaro's government 48 hours to release the full figures again».[3]

2020 Brazil Judiciary fake news inquiry

In April 2019, the Supreme Federal Court president Dias Toffoli launched an inquiry to investigate personal attacks and false statements against court members. Moraes was chosen as its rapporteur.[4] That month, Crusoé magazine reported that a document from Operation Car Wash revealed that then-Solicitor General Toffoli was involved in the Odebrecht scandal, according to the company's former chairman Marcelo Odebrecht.

On 15 April Moraes ordered that Crusoé take down the article from their website. Toffoli himself later requested a probe into whether Crusoé illegally leaked the document. The Court's decision on the matter was criticized by outlets such as The Intercept on the basis of censorship and attack on the freedom of the press.[5][6]

On May 27, 2020, as part of that same inquiry, the Federal Police launched an operation probing businessmen, bloggers and politicians allied to president Jair Bolsonaro.[7]

Bolsonaro supporters accused Moraes of practicing political interference, of political repression and trying to deploy a constitutional dictatorship.[8][9][10]

Notes

1. Discharged from 7 February 2017 to 22 February 2017[1]

References

1. Chagas, Paulo Victor (22 February 2017). "Alexandre de Moraes é nomeado para o Supremo Tribunal Federal" (in Portuguese). Agência Brasil. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
2. Renan Ramalho (22 February 2017). "Alexandre de Moraes toma posse no próximo dia 22 de março, informa STF" (in Portuguese). G1. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
3. Coronavirus: Brazil resumes publishing Covid-19 data after court ruling, BBC news, 11 June 2020.
4. "Entenda o inquérito do Supremo que investiga ameaças à Corte e veja os pontos polêmicos". G1 (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-06-18.
5. Brasil, The Intercept (2019-04-16). "'O amigo do amigo de meu pai': publicamos a reportagem da Crusoé que o STF censurou". The Intercept. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
6. Braziliense, Correio (2019-04-19). "'Não houve mordaça nem censura', diz Toffoli sobre tirar reportagem do ar". Correio Braziliense (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-06-19.
7. "Polícia Federal faz buscas em endereços de Roberto Jefferson, Luciano Hang e blogueiros". G1 (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-06-18.
8. "STF quer legislar e governar ao mesmo tempo".
9. ""Censura, ditadura e vergonha": bolsonaristas reagem a ação da PF". Retrieved 27 May 2020.
10. "Advogado confronta Toffoli e Moraes durante sessão do STF: 'A pior ditadura é a do judiciário'". jusbrasil.com.br. Retrieved 15 June 2020.