Moraes Calls for Supreme Court Vote to “Evaluate” His X Ban

A five-member panel of Brazil’s Supreme Court will vote on Monday to decide whether to uphold Justice Alexandre de Moraes’ ruling to shut down the social media platform X in the country.

Elon Musk, the owner of X, has referred to Moraes as a “dictator” following the justice’s decision. Moraes, who is a member of the court’s first chamber, has called for a virtual session so his peers can review the ruling.

Brazil’s Supreme Court comprises 11 justices divided into two chambers of five members each, excluding the chief justice. The justices can vote to either uphold or overturn decisions made by individual judges.

Justices Carmen Lucia, Luiz Fux, Cristiano Zanin, and Flavio Dino are members of the first chamber alongside Moraes.

X was taken down in Brazil, one of its largest markets, early Saturday morning after Moraes’ decision. This action follows a long-standing conflict between Moraes and Musk. The platform missed a court-imposed deadline on Thursday to name a legal representative in Brazil, as required by local law, leading to its suspension.

The dispute stems from a prior order by Moraes, which required X to block accounts involved in investigations related to alleged misinformation and hate speech. Musk has claimed that Moraes is attempting to enforce unjustified censorship, and in response, he closed the X office in Brazil in August without appointing a new representative. Moraes, however, has maintained that social media platforms need to be regulated for hate speech.

Moraes’ latest decision has received support from Chief Justice Luis Roberto Barroso.

“A company that refuses to name a legal representative in Brazil cannot operate in Brazilian territory,” Barroso stated in an interview with Folha de S.Paulo published on Sunday