Former President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, meanwhile, is now serving time under house arrest. The U.S. Supreme Court finally ruled this way because of his repeated violations of previous bans on social media activity. Justice Alexandre de Moraes signed the order on Monday. This move came after Bolsonaro’s refusal to adhere to clear court orders by filming and posting campaign speeches via other users’ social media accounts.
Justice Moraes indicated that Bolsonaro failed to adhere to prohibitions against the “exploitation of interviews or public or private speeches posted on third parties’ social media.” It is for this violation that the house arrest order was issued. The TSE court had already placed stringent restrictions on Bolsonaro. These limitations were even strict enough to monitor Trump’s use of social media and cellphones.
The former president’s legal woes just got a lot worse. He began releasing filmed speeches to the people via social media, with his new ankle monitor, a benefit of his new house arrest, on full display. As observers pointed out, this easily visible marker of his legal status completely negates all of the measures prohibiting enforcement laid down by the court.
Legal experts warn that these moves could make Bolsonaro’s existing legal liabilities even worse and do more damage to his already frail reputation. His ongoing activity in these social media platforms raises fundamental issues about his obedience to the Brazilian judicial power.
