politics
Trump Media and Rumble Seek Default Judgment Against Brazilian Judge in U.S. Court
Trump Media and Technology Group and Rumble filed a February lawsuit in Florida federal court against Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The companies allege the judge issued sealed orders that required U.S. platforms to remove accounts and data of U.S. users. They now seek a clerk’s entry of default after Moraes did not respond by the June 15 deadline.
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Trump Media and Technology Group and Rumble moved last week in Florida federal court for a clerk’s entry of default against Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The suit claims Moraes issued sealed orders directing platforms to suspend accounts belonging to journalists, lawmakers, commentators, and supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
Nearly 150 accounts have been suspended since 2022 under those directives, according to the complaint.
Plaintiffs’ attorneys delivered the lawsuit materials to an email address approved by U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven after Hague Convention service attempts failed. Scriven permitted the intervention but deferred ruling on the motion to dismiss until the plaintiffs respond.
The companies seek a judgment stating that no foreign official may use secret orders to regulate speech inside the United States, compel U.S. platforms to censor U.S. users, or obtain private data of U.S. users outside U.S. legal channels. They argue the case presents a novel question about whether foreign judicial orders can reach U.S.-based companies and speech protected by the First Amendment.
The litigation follows earlier disputes between Moraes and U.S. platforms, including a 2024 order that blocked X throughout Brazil after the company declined to comply with account-suspension directives.
