Internal Conflicts and Procedural Disputes within the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court

STF President Edson Fachin initiated a procedural inquiry on September 3, 2026, to clarify irregularities in the investigation of Ministers Alexandre de Moraes and André Mendonça. This action followed the Attorney General's request to extinguish petition 16.662. The inquiry focused on Federal Police reports involving messages from banker Daniel Vorcaro. Moraes and Mendonça were invited to provide written information, while the Court sought to clarify facts before a full plenary analysis. Political tensions escalated on September 4, as Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign intensified attacks on Moraes, linking him to President Lula and accusing him of undermining judicial integrity. Allies sought to maintain channels with the STF to prevent institutional fallout. The crisis deepened as Moraes exposed alleged irregularities in Mendonça’s conduct, prompting new impeachment efforts and political maneuvering within the Court. On September 9, Fachin removed Moraes from the relatorship of the seven-year-old 'fake news' inquiry. This move followed the crisis over Moraes' alleged misconduct and conflicts with Mendonça. On September 10, Fachin suspended decisions by Ministers André Mendonça and Flávio Dino regarding the removal of Federal Police Director-General Andrei Passos Rodrigues, ordering him to remain in office. Fachin also assumed pending fake news inquiries and suspended procedures involving investigations against Court ministers. Moraes requested a joint plenary analysis of suspicions against him and questions about Mendonça’s role in the Banco Master investigations on September 11. Moraes accused Mendonça of selecting confidential documents and excluding 180 items, alleging political direction of the investigations. An extraordinary session was scheduled for September 15 to analyze petitions 16.662 and 16.704. During the session on September 14-15, Minister Flávio Dino accused Fachin of irregular process management, which Fachin denied, stating the files were forwarded by Mendonça. The trial on September 15 featured direct accusations between Moraes and Mendonça. Moraes accused Mendonça of including his name in the Master case investigation. Mendonça denied this and claimed the existence of a 'parallel Federal Police' monitoring Court members. Minister Flávio Dino requested a 'vista' (review) to interrupt the session, halting the potential authorization of an investigation against Moraes for up to 90 days. Dino’s request followed a heated discussion criticizing Fachin’s conduct of the trial.