BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazil’s Supreme Court chief said on Monday every company operating in the country is “subject to the constitution” after one of the court’s judges launched an investigation into social media platform X owner Elon Musk.
Chief Justice Luis Roberto Barroso said in a statement that court decisions can be appealed but can never be subject to willful failure to comply, after Musk challenged a court decision ordering X, formerly known as Twitter, to block certain accounts.
Barroso did not mention X or any other company by name.
“It is clear that any companies operating in Brazil are subject to the Federal Constitution, laws and decisions of the Brazilian authorities,” Barroso said in a statement.
Musk’s remarks prompted Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes to open an investigation into the billionaire on Sunday.
In a Saturday evening post, the billionaire accused Moraes of “brazenly and repeatedly” betraying the constitution and people of Brazil.
Moraes is investigating the activities of “digital militias” accused of spreading fake news and hate messages during the rule of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, and is also leading an investigation into an alleged coup attempt by Bolsonaro.
In a statement on Monday, Barroso said that “the Supreme Court has acted and will continue to act to protect Brazil’s institutions.”
X did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent Monday.
Brazil’s Institutional Relations Minister Alexandre Padilla, the most senior member of Lula’s cabinet to comment on the matter, said the “attack” on Moraes was “unacceptable.”
“It is not just the individual judge who is under attack; this is the Supreme Court of Brazil and all those who defend the sovereignty of our country,” Padilla said on X.