The Trump administration has lifted sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who led the investigation and conviction of former President Jair Bolsonaro on coup-plot charges.

The Biden administration has reversed a previous decision made under former President Trump, lifting sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who had been accused of judicial overreach against former President Jair Bolsonaro. This decision coincides with Brazil’s lower house moving forward with a bill to reduce Bolsonaro’s 27-year sentence to less than three years, prompting the U.S. Treasury to state that maintaining sanctions was “inconsistent with U.S. foreign policy interests.”

Gleisi Hoffmann, Brazil’s Minister of Institutional Relations, applauded the removal of sanctions against de Moraes, calling it “a victory for Brazil and Lula.” She described the decision as a significant setback for Bolsonaro’s family, whom she accused of undermining both Brazil and its judiciary. Back in July, the Trump administration had sanctioned de Moraes and his affiliates under the Global Magnitsky Act, accusing him of misusing judicial power to target political rivals. Sanctions had also been placed on de Moraes’ wife and her organization, the Lex Institute, which have now been lifted.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau expressed approval of Brazil’s legislative actions on social media platform X, noting the U.S. has consistently voiced concerns over the misuse of legal processes to settle political disputes in Brazil. He characterized the bill as an initial effort to rectify these issues. A senior Trump administration official remarked that this policy shift aligns with improving “lawfare conditions” in Brazil following the bill’s approval in the lower house. The bill is now set to proceed to the Senate, and if passed, it will require President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s approval, potentially setting the stage for further political tensions.

Mainstream media outlets like the BBC and Reuters describe the U.S. decision to lift sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes as a natural warming of relations between the U.S. and Brazil. They tie it to a recent “great” phone call between President Trump and Brazilian President Lula da Silva, which focused on trade and other issues, while downplaying how this marks a shift away from Trump’s earlier defense of former President Jair Bolsonaro against claims of judicial overreach or “weaponization” in Brazil’s courts.

Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of the former president and a key lobbyist in the U.S., expressed disappointment over the reversal, blaming it on a lack of unity among Brazil’s right-wing groups. He vowed to keep pushing for his father’s cause, including efforts to secure his release from prison.

Overall, this quick turnaround, just five months after the sanctions were imposed, suggests that Trump’s Treasury Department is now adopting a stance similar to the Biden administration’s previous approach, which generally supported Brazil’s judicial actions against conservatives like Bolsonaro without such confrontational measures.