The US government removed Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, his wife, and a family company from the Magnitsky Act sanctions list on December 12, 2025. The decision followed negotiations between President Lula and Donald Trump, emphasizing Brazilian sovereignty. Moraes and Lula hailed it as a victory for democracy and the judiciary.
On December 12, 2025, the US government announced the suspension of Magnitsky Act sanctions against Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, his wife Viviane Barci, and the family-owned Lex - Institute of Legal Studies. The sanctions had been imposed on July 30, 2025, when Secretary of State Marco Rubio cited 'serious human rights abuses' by Moraes, in reference to the trial of Jair Bolsonaro related to the coup plot.
The reversal followed direct talks between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Donald Trump, starting in September and including a phone call on December 2. Lula insisted on lifting the sanctions, arguing it was unfair to punish a judge for upholding the Brazilian Constitution. "It's good for Brazil and for Brazilian democracy," Lula said during the launch of SBT News channel in São Paulo on the day of the announcement. He joked about Moraes' upcoming 57th birthday on December 13: "I gave him as a present the recognition that it wasn't fair for a president of another country to punish a Supreme Court minister."
Moraes thanked Lula at the event: "The truth and the efforts of President Lula and his entire team prevailed. It was a triple victory: for the Brazilian Judiciary, which did not bow to threats; for national sovereignty; and for democracy." Vice President Geraldo Alckmin also praised the move as an "act of justice," highlighting Lula's role in the negotiations, which also addressed tariff issues between Brazil and the US.
US officials attributed the withdrawal to the Chamber's approval of a bill reducing penalties in the coup plot case, but Lula's aides rejected this, crediting the progress to diplomatic rapprochement. The Magnitsky Act, unprecedented against a Brazilian official, freezes US assets and restricts financial transactions. Lula sent a direct message to Trump thanking him for the decision, seen as a step toward balanced bilateral relations.
