The fake news inquiry, open for seven years at the Supreme Federal Court, has been the target of criticism for quite some time and is under the reporting of Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The most recent crisis at the highest Court, aggravated by Moraes' decision to request Federal Police reports that cited members of the Court itself, rekindled debates about a possible closure of the investigation, which marked its seventh anniversary in March.
On Friday morning, the president of the Supreme Federal Court, Edson Fachin, stated that ending the inquiry is one of the goals of his administration, classifying it as urgent and reinforced by "recent events." Fachin also removed the case against Justice André Mendonça from the fake news inquiry and is evaluating the fate of the investigation regarding Moraes.
In a dispatch signed on Thursday evening, Moraes recalled that the investigation was opened to investigate "fraudulent news, calumnious denunciations" and pointed to evidence of a crime by Mendonça, asking Fachin to take action. The situation created an impasse within the Court itself, with different views on how to proceed with the case.
