Last month, Minister Alexandre de Moraes of the STF (Supreme Federal Court) undertook another heavy lifting by inheriting, albeit temporarily, the so-called ADPF das Favelas. In doing so, the judge cements himself as an authority on the court regarding public security, a topic currently on the country’s agenda and likely to dominate the 2026 electoral debate.
After sending the case to his office, Moraes went to Rio de Janeiro to demand explanations from officials, including Governor Claudio Castro (PL), of the containment operation, the deadliest in the country’s history, which resulted in the deaths of 121 people, as well as the continuation of the operation linked to the investigation opened by the Federal Police into organized crime in that state.
The original rapporteur for ADPF das Favelas was Edson Fachin. Upon assuming the presidency of the court in September, the case was handed over to the office of his predecessor, Luis Roberto Barroso. Although a replacement for Barroso, who is now retired, has not yet been identified, the task of rapporteur falls to the next most senior minister, Moraes.
People close to the court say that although he feels some wear and tear when dealing with thorny issues, the minister, who is also the rapporteur of the coup plot, the process that led to the conviction of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), does not refuse to take the initiative. Required by Bound Through his office, Moraes declined to comment.
This characteristic attributed to Moraes would explain, for example, the meeting he demanded with Castro, in one of the first works on ADPF das Favelas. The unusual position attracted attention.
According to observers from the Supreme Court, Moraes’ initiative will be regular, similar to the steps taken by a judge in a prison to inspect the conditions of a prison unit.
However, other people following the process understand that the judge will not be a security agent and that his knowledge of the facts to judge does not necessarily mean going to the scene, as an investigator would. The judge knows the facts based on the evidence presented by the parties in the case.
In another decision in the case file, Moraes ordered the “accurate and complete” preservation and documentation of all materials related to the implementation of the operation in the Binha and Alemão complexes.
When the court takes up public safety issues, Moraes is an active voice in the plenary session. This was the case when, in April, the court objected to shameful searches of visitors to the prison system.
The Minister took the resource from the virtual plenary to the in-person session and had an active presence throughout the discussion.
In these moments, the Minister presents his research, intervenes in the voting of his colleagues, reflects on his previous career, and makes an effort to influence the construction of the final thesis.
Moraes was a prosecutor, secretary of public security and justice minister in São Paulo, as well as justice minister under former President Michel Temer, who nominated him to the Supreme Court. At the Justice Department, he dealt with a prison system that was on the verge of implosion.
Moraes’ growth as a public figure began in 2019, when he was appointed by Dias Toffoli, then president of the court, as rapporteur to investigate fake news.
That decision culminated in the control of the operations of the 2022 coup plot. Moraes led the criminal procedure in which Bolsonaro and seven other defendants were convicted of attempting to disrupt democracy, after an accelerated pace of the operation.
During this period, Moraes became a target of Donald Trump. Citing Bolsonaro’s ruling, the US President implemented an additional 50% tariff on Brazilian products, revoked the visa of the minister and other authorities, imposed economic sanctions on him and, later, listed his wife, lawyer Viviane Barce de Moraes, and the family business among those punished by the Magnitsky Act.
It mobilized Brazilian diplomatic actions, the Lula government (PT) that came out to support the minister, colleagues from the court who showed their support, as well as a pavilion that formed a strong support base around him.
In 2025, in addition to criminal themes, Moraes also becomes relevant in other fields.
In June, he was appointed rapporteur to act on changes to the financial operations tax. Since then, members of the government, Congress and the court itself have discussed a negotiated solution to this sensitive issue between Parliament and the executive.
Moraes called for a reconciliation session that ended without reaching a solution. how Bound However, discussions showed that discussions were beginning to take shape during the 13th Gilmarpalooza Forum in Lisbon. Among the possibilities already discussed in Portugal were a reduction in the rate and the abandonment of the charge related to the withdrawn risks – the latter was confirmed by the rapporteur’s decision.
Behind the scenes, people close to the court commented that Moraes saw the operation as an opportunity to reduce the focus of his more stringent actions, in the criminal sphere, and present himself as a counterweight in another sensitive case. Moraes also has good contacts with some congressional leaders, such as Davi Alcolombre (União Brasil-AP), president of the Senate.
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