Brazilian Supreme Court judge threatens to shut down X in the country as dispute with Musk escalates

A Brazilian supreme court justice could shut down X in the country on Thursday if the social media company doesn't comply with a request over the day.

Concretely, judge Alexandre De Moraes, who has had other testy engagements with the company over the past months, said X needs to name a legal representative by 8 p.m. local time.

The request follows Elon Musk's decision to close the company's operations in the country over what he described as the judge's "censorship orders." The mogul has also accused the judge of being a "dictator" and threatening to jail his employees.

The conflict has been going on for years and began when the Brazilian Supreme Court took action against several accounts tied to the country's right-wing movement, particularly those linked to former president Jair Bolsonaro.

De Moraes ordered accounts be blocked for attempting to discredit the country's electoral system and process, part of Bolsonaro's effort to overturn the 2022 presidential elections he ultimately lost against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

X did not fully comply with the orders, leading the judge to intensify the pressure on the platform. Musk is also being investigated in the country for defying the court's orders, alleged obstruction of justice.

Back in April, X's account tracking relations with global government affairs said that the platform had been "forced by court decisions to block certain popular accounts in Brazil" and taken said action.

"We do not know the reasons these blocking orders have been issued. We do not know which posts are alleged to violate the law. We are prohibited from saying which court or judge issued the order, or on what grounds. We are threatened with daily fines if we fail to comply," read a passage of the post.

However, Musk then stepped in and criticized Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes for "brazenly and repeatedly betrayed the constitution and people of Brazil." He added that the justice should "resign or be impeached" and vowed to reinstate all accounts and lift all restrictions.

De Moraes, in turn, said Musk personally began a "disinformation campaign" regarding the court's actions. "The flagrant conduct of obstruction of Brazilian justice, incitement of crime, the public threat of disobedience of court orders and future lack of cooperation from the platform are facts that disrespect the sovereignty of Brazil," he wrote.

Musk has been reposting publications critical of De Moraes' latest decision, calling him a "judge" (between quotes) and saying he has "repeatedly broken the laws he has sworn to uphold."

He also posted an AI-generated picture of the platform's engine, Grok, of the following request: "as if Voldemort and a Sith lord had a baby and he became a judge in Brazil."