On Friday, December 12, 2025, the United States government officially lifted sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, his wife Viviane Barci de Moraes, and the Lex Institute she leads, marking a significant turn in the diplomatic relationship between the two nations. The move, which followed months of tension and negotiation, signals a deliberate shift in U.S. foreign policy and a notable victory for Brazil’s current administration under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The sanctions, first imposed by the Trump administration in July 2025, had accused Justice de Moraes of authorizing arbitrary pretrial detentions and suppressing freedom of expression during his oversight of the high-profile trial against former President Jair Bolsonaro. According to documents from the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control, the punitive measures also targeted de Moraes’ wife and her organization, the Lex Institute. The U.S. government, at the time, justified its actions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which is designed to target perpetrators of human rights abuses and corrupt officials.
As reported by AP and France24, the decision to lift the sanctions came shortly after a weekend phone conversation between President Donald Trump and President Lula. A senior Trump administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that the passage of an important amnesty bill by Brazil’s lower house was seen as a sign that the so-called "lawfare" conditions in Brazil were improving. The official explained, "Continued designation is inconsistent with US foreign policy interests." This sentiment was echoed by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, who commented on social media: "The US has consistently expressed concern over efforts to use the legal process to weaponize political differences in Brazil, and therefore welcomes the bill passed by the lower house of the Brazilian Congress as a first step towards addressing these abuses. Finally we are seeing the beginning of a path to improve our relations."
Justice de Moraes, who had been at the center of the storm for leading the investigation into Bolsonaro and his allies over an alleged plot to overturn the results of the 2022 presidential election, welcomed the lifting of sanctions. Speaking at an event in São Paulo, he declared, "This is a victory of Brazil’s judiciary. Brazil’s judiciary did not bow to threats, coercion and it will never do so. It carried on with unbias, seriousness and courage. It is a victory for national sovereignty. President Lula from the start said this country will not give in to any invasion to Brazil’s democracy." In a separate statement from Brasília, he added, "I believed, and I still believe...that the truth, once it reached US authorities, would prevail. And the truth, with the efforts of President Lula and his entire team, prevailed."
The sanctions had been a flashpoint in the already strained relationship between the U.S. and Brazil, exacerbated by the trial and subsequent conviction of Jair Bolsonaro. The former president, often dubbed the "Trump of the Tropics," was found guilty of masterminding a coup plot to stay in power after his 2022 defeat to Lula. He began serving a 27-year prison sentence in November 2025, as reported by Bloomberg and BBC. Conservative lawmakers in Brazil’s lower house recently passed a bill that could slash Bolsonaro’s sentence to less than three years—a move that still requires Senate approval and Lula’s signature, setting the stage for a potentially tense political showdown.
Bolsonaro’s family and allies, particularly his son Eduardo Bolsonaro, had actively lobbied against the sanctions. Eduardo, a federal lawmaker, moved to the United States earlier in 2025, hoping to sway the Trump administration to intervene on his father’s behalf. However, he has since been charged with coercion for his alleged efforts to influence the outcome of the coup trial. Reacting to the news of the sanctions being lifted, Eduardo wrote on social media, "The lack of internal cohesion and the insufficient support for initiatives pursued abroad contributed to the worsening of the current situation. We sincerely hope that President Donald Trump’s decision will be successful in defending the strategic interests of the American people, as is his duty." He also noted that the decision was received "with regret."
The lifting of sanctions was hailed by Brazil’s Minister of Institutional Relations, Gleisi Hoffmann, as a clear win for Lula’s government and a blow to the Bolsonaro family. "It was Lula who put this repeal (of the sanctions) on Donald Trump’s desk, in a dignifying and sovereign dialogue," Hoffmann told reporters. "It is a big defeat for the family of Jair Bolsonaro, traitors who have conspired against Brazil and the judiciary." The sentiment was echoed by other members of Lula’s administration, who viewed the development as validation of their efforts to restore Brazil’s standing on the global stage.
The broader context of the sanctions saga is rooted in a period of escalating trade and diplomatic friction. Alongside the sanctions, the Trump administration had imposed a 40% tariff on Brazilian products in July 2025, citing Brazil’s judicial actions and prosecution of Bolsonaro as an economic emergency. These tariffs, as noted by AFP, were partially lifted in November 2025 as relations began to thaw. The U.S. ran a $6.8 billion trade surplus with Brazil last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, underscoring the economic stakes involved.
Political analyst Thomas Traumann, author of a recent book on Brazil’s political divisions, observed that the U.S. government’s actions reflect a desire to normalize relations with Brazil despite ideological differences. Traumann explained, "Trump removed almost all tariffs it had increased, stopped discussing politics with Lula, now it is all about security and trade, and he managed to make Brazil’s government somewhat neutral in other Latin American affairs, especially Venezuela. This is a process to show Brazil needs to be treated differently in the region."
The diplomatic rapprochement was set in motion at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025, when Trump and Lula began mending fences. Their first official meeting in October, followed by subsequent phone calls and negotiations, paved the way for the recent flurry of positive developments. Lula has made it clear that he was not only seeking to reverse punitive tariffs but also to end the sanctions on de Moraes and other officials targeted by the U.S. measures.
As ties between the two countries continue to improve, both sides appear eager to focus on security, trade, and regional stability. Lula has also urged other Latin American states to help avoid conflict in Venezuela, as the Trump administration pursues military action against vessels allegedly linked to drug cartels. The lifting of sanctions on Justice de Moraes and his family is seen as a crucial step in this broader diplomatic reset.
While the political landscape in Brazil remains deeply polarized, with Bolsonaro’s supporters and critics locked in a battle over the country’s future, the removal of U.S. sanctions on one of the Supreme Court’s most prominent figures marks a decisive moment. Whether this signals a lasting détente or merely a temporary reprieve remains to be seen, but for now, both Washington and Brasília are embracing a rare moment of concord.
