Alexandre de Moraes to temporarily lead Brazil's Supreme Court

Alexandre de Moraes is set to take over as the temporary president of Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) this Friday, September 17. He succeeds Edson Fachin, who has been leading the court since the recess began on July 2. The July court rotation for the presidency and vice-presidency is standard procedure.

Despite the ongoing recess, five justices, including Gilmar Mendes, Moraes, Nunes Marques, André Mendonça, and Flávio Dino, are maintaining normal operations. Dias Toffoli continues to handle civil and criminal complaints, inquiries, and writs of mandamus. Zanin is exclusively managing inquiries, criminal cases, and related proceedings.

Cármen Lúcia and Luiz Fux are on vacation for the entire month of July. According to Portaria 124, issued on June 8, all procedural deadlines are suspended between July 2 and July 31. Deadlines falling within this period will be automatically extended to August 3, the first business day after the recess.

During this suspension, public access and court secretarial operations will run from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Previously, during his interim presidency in January, Moraes initiated a confidential inquiry into alleged improper disclosure of fiscal data concerning STF ministers and their families by the Federal Revenue Service and the Council for Financial Activities Control (Coaf). This action was taken without a request from the Prosecutor General's Office, which is unusual for the court. The decision caused a division among the justices, with some supporting the investigation and others expressing concern about potential repercussions for oversight bodies. The inquiry commenced amid the ongoing Banco Master case at the STF, following reports of a contract between Moraes's wife and the bank, and business dealings involving Justice Dias Toffoli's brothers with an entity linked to the institution.