United States President, Donald Trump’s media company is suing a Brazilian Supreme Court justice in an unusual legal battle touching on free speech, international law, and Brazilian politics.
Trump Media and Technology Group, which operates Truth Social, has teamed up with conservative social media platform Rumble to file a lawsuit against Justice Alexandre de Moraes
The suit challenges his authority after he allegedly ordered the removal of a right-wing Brazilian commentator’s Rumble accounts worldwide.
Although Moraes is not based in the United States, the case was filed in Florida, where Trump Media and Rumble argue that his orders infringe on the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment protections.
“Allowing Justice Moraes to muzzle a vocal user on an American digital outlet would jeopardize our country’s bedrock commitment to open and robust debate,” the complaint states. “Neither extraterritorial dictates nor judicial overreach from abroad can override the freedoms protected by the U.S. Constitution and law.”
While Truth Social is not directly affected by Moraes’ actions, its reliance on Rumble’s infrastructure means that any disruption to Rumble could impact its own operations.
“If Justice Moraes’s actions were confined to Brazil, they would be regrettable, and likely not in the province of U.S. Courts,” the lawsuit argues. “But many of Justice Moraes’s actions, including the illegal Gag Orders challenged here, reach directly into the United States to compel action by U.S. companies having no presence in Brazil, and which will have the effect of suppressing speech not just in Brazil, but in the United States and throughout the world.”
Trump Media Chairman Devin Nunes reaffirmed the company’s dedication to free expression in a statement.
“This is not just a slogan, it’s the core mission of this company,” he said. “We’re proud to join our partner Rumble in standing against unjust demands for political censorship regardless of who makes them.”
This lawsuit coincides with significant political turmoil in Brazil, as former President Jair Bolsonaro faces charges related to an alleged coup attempt to overturn the 2022 election results.
Moraes, who rejected Bolsonaro’s party’s attempt to annul the election, was reportedly a target of an assassination plot tied to the scheme.
Bolsonaro has denied involvement in any such plans but claims Moraes is leading a politically motivated crackdown on conservative voices.
The judge has ordered the shutdown of hundreds of social media accounts, including those of Bolsonaro allies.
Moraes has also been in conflict with X owner Elon Musk, a major Trump donor. X was briefly suspended in Brazil in August after the platform failed to comply with court orders on hate speech moderation and did not appoint a legal representative in the country, as required by Brazilian law.
Musk accused Moraes of censorship, calling him a “dictator,” but ultimately complied with the orders, allowing X to resume operations in Brazil by October.
Stanford internet law expert Daphne Keller described the Trump Media lawsuit as a unique case.
“They’re asking for two things. One is for the court to confirm that there is no way that the order is enforceable in the United States,” Keller explained. “The other thing they’re asking for is they want an American court to order a Brazilian supreme court justice to not do something, to not ask app stores to remove Rumble and Truth Social – something I’ve never seen before.”
Despite raising critical questions about free speech and international law, Keller believes the lawsuit may be more symbolic than effective.
“It’s kind of performative to make a lot of noise about free speech and file this case when the thing you’re asking for isn’t going to do you any good,” she said.
While acknowledging the significance of the issue, Keller suggests that diplomatic or trade measures, rather than legal action in U.S. courts, would be a more practical approach.
“I don’t think going to US courts is a way to fix this – a normal administration would call for diplomatic response or trade responses … rather than going to court,” she said.
