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Brazil’s Supreme Court Upholds X Ban

Author: Samantha Pearson Source: WSJ:

September 2, 2024 at 14:30

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. PHOTO: ERALDO PERES/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Justices back their colleague, Alexandre de Moraes, after he faces criticism for shutting down the popular social-media platform

SÃO PAULO—Brazil’s Supreme Court voted Monday to uphold Justice Alexandre de Moraes’ ruling to shut down social-media platform X as Latin America’s biggest country hardened its opposition toward Elon Musk, prompting concern among free-speech advocates and some investors.

A majority of a five-member panel of justices voted in favor of the ban after de Moraes called on the court to review his decision, countering critics who have accused him of authoritarianism. Musk himself has referred to de Moraes as a “dictator.”

Brazil’s Supreme Court is composed of 11 judges, divided into two chambers excluding the head of the court, who can review any decisions made by a single judge.

The vote on Monday comes as some investors expressed concerns over the increasingly active role played by Brazil’s court in economic and political matters. U.S. hedge-fund billionaire Bill Ackman joined critics of the X ban over the weekend, warning that the platform’s shutdown could “put Brazil on a rapid path to becoming an uninvestable market.”

The ban on X caps months of back-and-forth retaliation between Musk and the country, which started in April when de Moraes ordered X to take down several accounts deemed to be spreading hate speech and what he called misinformation.

Musk initially balked at the order and closed X’s offices in Brazil. The court issued an ultimatum last week: either appoint a legal representative in Brazil or face a ban, which took effect after Musk didn’t respond.

Write to Samantha Pearson at samantha.pearson@wsj.com