Brazil · SUPREME COURT
Key Facts
- —What happened Estadão, Folha de S.Paulo and O Globo ran editorials this week urging Alexandre de Moraes to leave the Supreme Court.
- —How big Senators have filed several new impeachment requests against Moraes this week, adding to dozens already pending.
- —What it means Leaked phone messages show banker Daniel Vorcaro asked Moraes for help a day before his 2025 arrest.
- —The catch A second, separate scandal involves Justice André Mendonça, who runs the actual Banco Master collapse case.
- —Who it affects Ronaldo Caiado, who quit as Goiás governor to run for president, said he sees no way Moraes can stay.
- —What comes next Chief Justice Edson Fachin has pledged to act, and a Paulista Avenue protest drew crowds against Moraes and Toffoli this week.
Three of Brazil’s biggest newspapers, a presidential candidate and dozens of senators want Justice Alexandre de Moraes off the Supreme Court.
Brazil’s top court is called the STF, the Supreme Federal Court. Three of the country’s biggest newspapers now say one justice on it must leave.
Estadão, Folha de S.Paulo and O Globo all published editorials this week. They said Justice Alexandre de Moraes should quit the Supreme Court immediately.
Three Newspapers Say Moraes Must Go
Estadão wrote that Moraes has to leave the Supreme Court, no matter what investigators eventually find. Folha de S.Paulo went further, calling for his resignation or a formal impeachment trial in the Senate.
O Globo called on the Court’s new chief justice to convene an emergency session soon. It warned that if the Court stayed silent, the Senate would have to act instead.
Editorial boards rarely take such a direct stance against a sitting justice. Their shift shows growing unease, even among past supporters of Moraes’s rulings against Bolsonaro allies.
What the Leaked Messages Show
The editorials followed a Federal Police report on Vorcaro’s phone, first reported by Estadão on September 1. The report includes messages between Vorcaro and Moraes from late 2025.
On November 17, 2025, Vorcaro asked Moraes for help as police closed in. He was arrested the next day at Guarulhos airport, heading to Dubai.
In one message, Vorcaro wrote that he had “rushed” to try to save the situation. Moraes’s exact replies were not fully recovered from the phone, the report says.
The Federal Police report says Moraes may have shared sensitive details about the investigation with Vorcaro. It also raises questions about possible corruption, Estadão reported.
A Separate Track: Justice Mendonça and Banco Master
A different, related problem centers on Justice André Mendonça. In Brazil’s courts, the rapporteur is the lead judge assigned to a case.
Mendonça is the rapporteur for the Banco Master collapse case. Investigators link the wider probe to Operação Carbono Oculto, a separate organized-crime and money-laundering investigation.
Banco Master’s collapse was one of Brazil’s biggest banking failures. Police and courts have frozen more than R$29 billion (about US$5.7 billion) in assets tied to the case.
Vorcaro also told Mendonça’s team that Federal Police agents intimidated him during the probe. Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet called the claim unsupported and wants it dropped.
Mendonça also quietly left the board of Instituto Iter, a legal institute he founded in 2024. He said he never profited from the group.
Instituto Iter had won government contracts worth more than R$10.8 million (about US$2.1 million). Many of those contracts were awarded without competitive bidding, reports say.
PL leader Sóstenes Cavalcante has urged Lula to remove Federal Police director Andrei Rodrigues from his post. He said keeping Rodrigues makes Lula look complicit.
Lula’s own party, the PT, has also criticized Mendonça this week. PT’s José Dirceu said Mendonça has “lost the conditions” to keep leading the case.
Political Pressure Builds on Moraes
Ronaldo Caiado, a leading presidential candidate, said Moraes should not remain in office. “I don’t see how he can stay on the Supreme Court,” Caiado told CNN Brasil on September 2.
Caiado quit as Goiás governor in March to run for president. He also said the Senate now has enough votes to open impeachment proceedings against Moraes.
Senator Damares Alves filed a petition on September 1. It cites a R$131 million (about US$25.7 million) contract linked to a law firm run by Moraes’s wife.
Senator Carlos Viana filed a related petition the same day, also citing the same R$131 million (about US$25.7 million) contract. His filing was the Senate’s 54th impeachment request against Moraes since 2021.
The opposition party Novo has urged its members to join street protests against Moraes. None of the prior petitions has reached a Senate floor vote.
Any impeachment trial needs approval from Senate President Davi Alcolumbre before moving forward. Alcolumbre had not said whether he will schedule a vote, as of September 3.
Presidential candidate Renan Santos led a rally on Avenida Paulista on September 1. Protesters called for the impeachment of Moraes and fellow Justice Dias Toffoli.
Santos said he would file separate impeachment requests against Toffoli and Moraes. Avenida Paulista, in São Paulo, is a traditional site for political protests.
Can the Court Hold Together?
Chief Justice Edson Fachin is trying to keep the Supreme Court from splitting apart. He says he will act in due course, once he finishes reviewing the police findings.
Fachin has avoided naming Moraes or Mendonça directly in his public statements. He says the Court’s authority creates duties for its members, not special privileges.
President Lula is watching the crisis closely, without commenting on Moraes directly. His campaign has been quietly polling how voters view the scandal, according to Brazilian reports.
Lula wants to avoid being blamed for Moraes’s problems ahead of the 2026 election. Advisers reportedly want him to keep some distance from the justice.
More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the STF?
The STF is Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court, the country’s highest court. It rules on constitutional questions and oversees major criminal investigations.
Why do newspapers want Justice Moraes to leave?
Estadão, Folha de S.Paulo and O Globo all published editorials this week. They cited leaked messages showing Vorcaro asked Moraes for advice before his 2025 arrest.
Who is Daniel Vorcaro?
Vorcaro was the main owner of Banco Master, a private bank that collapsed in November 2025. Police arrested him as he prepared to leave Brazil.
What is Justice André Mendonça’s role in this?
Mendonça is the rapporteur, or lead judge, for the separate Banco Master investigation. He recently left the board of a legal institute he founded after questions about its contracts.
What happens next?
Chief Justice Fachin says he will act in due course after reviewing the Federal Police findings. Opposition figures already held one protest against Moraes and Toffoli on Avenida Paulista.
Sources: O Estado de S. Paulo (Estadão), Folha de S.Paulo, O Globo, Poder360, CNN Brasil, Money Times, Gazeta do Povo, Jornal de Brasília, Metropoles, Diário do Grande ABC.
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