BRASILIA (AFP) — With his stern gaze and shiny-bald head, Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes has emerged as one of the most powerful and polarizing people in Brazil by probing far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro’s alleged attacks on democracy.

Now he has a new target in his disinformation crackdown: Elon Musk.

The billionaire X owner, who calls himself a “free-speech absolutist,” recently went on the attack against Moraes, labeling him a dictator and threatening to defy the judge’s rulings blocking users found to be spreading disinformation — largely Bolsonaro supporters.

Moraes responded by ordering fines of $20,000 a day for any account that X reactivates, put Musk under investigation for charges including obstruction of justice and accused him of a “criminal instrumentalization” of the social network formerly called Twitter.

Known by his nickname, “Xandao,” Moraes, 55, looms large over the fissures of a deeply divided Brazil.

The immensely powerful judge, who also heads the Superior Electoral Tribunal, is hated by the far right, which accuses him of censorship and abuse of office.

To others, he is a hero using the bench to save Brazil’s young democracy.

‘Political animal’

There was little in Moraes’s background to hint he would become a conservative nemesis.

The constitutional law expert worked as a Sao Paulo state prosecutor, then went on to become state security secretary. Known as a hardliner, he drew criticism from left-wing activists, who accused him of repressing social movements.

He served as justice minister under center-right ex-president Michel Temer, who named him to the Supreme Court in 2017.

“Legal expertise has played a part in his meteoric rise, but what put him on the Supreme Court, and 99 percent of his career, is politics. He’s a political animal,” constitutional law expert Antonio Carlos de Freitas told Agence France-Presse.

Despite his severe demeanor, Moraes is known for a sense of humor behind the scenes.

Supreme Court insiders call him a pragmatist with a gift for engaging in dialogue with various players, including the military.

But he soon found himself on a collision course with Bolsonaro.

During Bolsonaro’s administration (2019 to 2022), Moraes ordered investigations of several of the president’s allies. Bolsonaro called him “scum” and vowed to stop following his rulings.