U.S. Court Denies Default Judgment Against Brazilian Minister Moraes, Allows Brazil's Intervention in Rumble Lawsuit

A U.S. federal court in Florida has denied a request for a default judgment against Brazilian Supreme Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes in a lawsuit brought by Rumble and Trump Media. The court also authorized Brazil, represented by its Attorney General's Office (AGU), to formally intervene in the case.

The decision represents an initial procedural victory for Minister Moraes. The court postponed its decision on Brazil's request to dismiss the lawsuit and ordered Rumble and Trump Media to respond within 14 days. The AGU's intervention is based on the argument that Moraes acted in his official capacity as a Supreme Court Minister, not as a private individual, when issuing the challenged orders.

Brazil contends that it is the true party of interest in the dispute and that U.S. courts should not interfere with Brazilian judicial decisions. The lawsuit, filed in 2025, seeks a U.S. court declaration that orders attributed to Moraes to suspend accounts on digital platforms cannot be enforced in the United States. The plaintiffs allege these orders violate the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, U.S. digital platform laws, and data protection rules.

Previously, the Florida court had allowed Moraes to be served via email after initial attempts at notification failed. The court had set a 30-day deadline for Moraes to respond, after which the companies could seek a formal declaration of default. However, the latest ruling suspends that prior order, denying the companies' request for default judgment for now, while allowing them to potentially renew it after the Brazilian government's motion to dismiss is considered.