Moraes asks for Lula's political response to Trump's sanctions and halts legal action in the US.

247 - Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has asked President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) to refrain, at least for now, from filing a lawsuit in the United States against the sanctions imposed by US President Donald Trump under the Magnitsky Act.

The information was published by Malu Gaspar, from the newspaper. The GlobeThis refers to a conversation that took place during a dinner hosted by Lula for Moraes at the Planalto Palace. Also present were five other Supreme Court justices—Gilmar Mendes, Luís Roberto Barroso, Cristiano Zanin, Flávio Dino, and Edson Fachin—as well as two government ministers. According to reports, Moraes argued that the Planalto Palace should initially adopt a political, rather than a legal, stance in response to what he considers an equally political offensive by Trump.

“This is not a negotiation because there is nothing to negotiate in judicial decisions. But he believes that Trump framed the issue politically, and the Lula government needs to respond in the same way, defending national sovereignty and, by extension, the Supreme Court and its justices,” a source close to Moraes told the reporter, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The minister suggested that sanctions imposed by the United States government—including visa cancellations and other punishments under the Magnitsky Act—should be given priority in official statements from the Brazilian Foreign Ministry. He also argued that Brazilian actions should emphasize the protection of sovereignty and the independence of the branches of government, especially the Supreme Federal Court.

During the meeting, Lula was receptive to the arguments and assured that the government would follow the minister's guidance. Until now, the Planalto's strategy had been to treat the impact of the tariff increase and the legal ramifications related to Jair Bolsonaro (PL) separately, seeking to isolate the ideological component of the White House's decisions.

However, according to sources present at the dinner, Moraes made it clear that he expects a firm response from the Brazilian government to Trump's attitude, not only as a domestic political signal, but also as a defense of Brazilian institutions on the international stage.

Chancellor Mauro Vieira has already started this movement. This Monday (4), during a speech to an audience of diplomats, he harshly criticized the attempt at “collusion” between Brazilians and foreign forces to attack the democratic order. According to him, “confessed lovers of foreign intervention will not succeed in their attempt to subvert the democratic and constitutional order”.

In the coming days, a new public statement from President Lula is expected, reinforcing the defense of national sovereignty, with explicit mentions of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) and a rejection of international interference. The objective, as pointed out by Moraes and supported by his colleagues on the Court, is for the government's response to be forceful and institutional, before resorting to any legal action in US courts.