Supreme Court crisis spills into Brazil’s presidential race

A public feud between Supreme Court justices Alexandre de Moraes and André Mendonça has frozen parts of Brazil's high court and become a talking point in the presidential race. It started with leaked phone messages tying de Moraes to a bank fraud probe, escalated into dueling investigations and firings, and ended with the court's president canceling a session for the first time since 2009 and stripping de Moraes of a marquee case.

Candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, campaigning on a promise to add five justices to the court, has turned the mess into a campaign line, tying incumbent Lula to de Moraes at a 30,000-person rally. Lula, for his part, is calling for full transparency on the bank probe while denouncing selectively timed leaks — a complaint that would carry more weight if the timing weren't so convenient for everyone involved.

Because the Senate that will be elected in October also decides impeachment votes against justices, the election isn't just about who runs the country — it's about who gets to discipline the judges. Analysts warn the whole spectacle is eroding what was left of the court's credibility, which is one way to describe a court currently investigating itself over allegations against its own members.

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