A Brazilian Supreme Court justice recently attempted to punish U.S.-based video platform Rumble over its refusal to comply with his order to censor and silence a prominent U.S.-based right-wing Brazilian commentator.

Rumble, along with the Trump Media Group, filed a lawsuit in federal court to block the Brazilian justice's punitive acts, and a U.S. judge just agreed that those companies don't have to comply with the improper international judicial orders, Reuters reported.

Both Rumble and Trump Media, the parent company of President Donald Trump's Truth Social platform, hailed the judge's decision as a victory for free speech and U.S. sovereignty.

Brazilian justice tried to shut down U.S.-based Rumble

Leftist Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has been waging a years-long judicial vendetta against right-wing former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and has apparently extended that to include efforts to silence the spread of alleged "disinformation" from Bolsonaro's supporters, including U.S.-based commentator Allan dos Santos.

According to The Rio Times, Moraes ordered Rumble to shut down dos Santos' account and demanded that the platform hire legal representation in Brazil. When Rumble refused, the justice had the platform suspended in Brazil, imposed escalating fines for non-compliance, and even threatened criminal charges against the company's CEO Chris Pavlovski.

In response to the actions of Moraes, Rumble, joined by Trump Media, filed an emergency lawsuit in U.S. federal court that sought a temporary restraining order against the Brazilian justice and argued that his orders violated both U.S. sovereignty and the First Amendment-protected right of free speech.

Judge deems TRO unnecessary

On Tuesday, Fox News reported that U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven declined to grant the requested TRO against Justice Moraes, not because she disagreed with the arguments put forward by Rumble and Trump Media, but rather because it was deemed unnecessary and the U.S. companies were under no obligation to comply with the foreign judge's orders.

The reason for that, Scriven revealed, was because Moraes had failed to serve his orders against Rumble in compliance with international laws and treaties, as well as because no efforts had been made yet in the U.S. by the foreign justice to enforce his diktats against the U.S. platform, rendering the lawsuit premature.

"The court’s decision today denied the TRO for being unnecessary because it determined that Moraes’s orders are invalid and unenforceable in the United States," Rumble's attorneys told Fox News. "Therefore, there is no need to restrain invalid orders. Of course, if Moraes takes any steps to try to enforce his illegal orders on U.S. soil, we can return to the judge to grant a TRO."

No need to comply with "unlawful censorship demands" from foreign judges

In a statement to Fox News, Rumble spokesperson Tim Murtaugh said, "Justice Alexandre de Moraes’s censorship orders have no legal force in the United States. This ruling is a complete victory for free speech, digital sovereignty, and the right of American companies to operate without foreign judicial interference."

"The court explicitly ruled that Moraes’s directives were never properly served under U.S. or international law," he continued. "This means that Rumble and Trump Media are under no obligation to comply with these unlawful censorship demands, and no U.S. entity is required to enforce them."

"The ruling sends a strong message to foreign governments that they cannot bypass U.S. law to impose censorship on American platforms,"  Murtaugh added. "This case was never just about Rumble or Trump Media -- it was about stopping foreign judges from trying to silence speech in America. Rumble and Trump Media will continue to fight for free speech, and today’s ruling is a major victory in that battle."

A "major victory for free speech"

Also weighing in on Judge Scriven's ruling was former Republican California congressman Devin Nunes, who is now the CEO and chairman of Trump Media, and he was quite pleased with the court's decision.

"This is a major victory for free speech and free expression online," Nunes said in a statement. "The ruling confirms that would-be dictators in any country can’t force Trump Media or Rumble to censor their opponents. We congratulate our partner Rumble on its principled stand for freedom."