Fabio Rodrigues-Pozzebom/Agência Brasil
In a significant de-escalation of diplomatic tensions between Washington and Brasília, the United States Department of the Treasury has officially removed Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes from its sanctions list. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) updated its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list this Friday, effectively annulling the measures imposed under the Global Magnitsky Act earlier this year. The decision restores Moraes’ access to the US financial system and lifts the visa restrictions that had barred him and his immediate family from entering the United States.
Moraes had been designated in July 2025 by the Trump administration, which accused the magistrate of “serious human rights abuses” related to his high-profile crusade against digital militias and his handling of the legal cases involving former President Jair Bolsonaro. At the time, the sanctions were unprecedented for a sitting judge of a democratic ally and sparked a diplomatic crisis, with Brazil’s Supreme Court condemning the move as an attack on its judicial independence. The White House had previously cited Moraes’ “censorship” of US social media platforms as a primary driver for the punitive measures.
Diplomatic sources suggest that the reversal is part of a broader “reset” in bilateral relations negotiated over the last few weeks. The lifting of sanctions coincides with the easing of tariffs on Brazilian steel and aluminum, signaling a pragmatic shift in US policy as it seeks to stabilize its influence in the Western Hemisphere. While the Treasury provided no detailed explanation for the delisting, analysts believe that assurances regarding due process in ongoing political trials in Brazil may have been exchanged behind closed doors to facilitate the agreement.
Sources:
https://www.brasil247.com/mundo/eua-retiram-alexandre-de-moraes-da-lista-de-sancoes-da-lei-magnitsky
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/international-trade/us-removes-brazil-supreme-court-judge-from-sanctions-list https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0298-moraes-delisting-update-december-2025
