A manifesto signed by more than 200 people, including businesspeople, economists and other names from different segments of civil society, asks the (Supreme Federal Court) to adopt a code of conduct for the court’s ministers.
The document, , cites concern “with the recurring and increasingly serious news about practices that are incompatible with the stance of independence, sobriety and impartiality expected from Justice.” It was published this Tuesday (16) as an advertising report in the printed version of some newspapers in the country, including Sheet.
Names such as , economist and former president of the Central Bank, João Amoêdo, one of the founders and former president of the Partido Novo, and Antonio Luiz Seabra, founder of Natura, signed. Academics also endorse the initiative, such as Pablo Ortellado, professor of public policy management at USP, and Hélio Zylberstajn, from the economics faculty at the same institution.
Still on the list are, among others, Ivo Herzog (son of journalist Vladimir Herzog, murdered by the military dictatorship), climatologist Carlos Nobre, businessman Oded Grajew, economist Ana Carla Abrão, USP economics professor Ricardo Abramovay and former Minister of Education Cristovam Buarque.
Participants in the manifesto interviewed by the report avoided nominating leaders in the group — there is concern about reinforcing the initiative as a spontaneous collective action.
The document cites the need for transparency “about the ethical limits that should guide magistrates” as a condition for preserving the moral authority and credibility of the Judiciary.
“We therefore express our full support for the effort to adopt a code of conduct, a measure compatible with that around the world. A timely, healthy and urgent step to rescue the image of excellence that must characterize the Federal Supreme Court and guide the service of Justice throughout the country.”
The demonstration takes place at a time when the president of the court, , is considering the drafting of a code for the Supreme Court. The idea, however, is resisted by ministers.
STF judges have already spoken publicly against this type of initiative. In June 2024, he told Sheet there is no ” [de um código de ética]because Supreme Court ministers are already guided by the ethical conduct that the Constitution determines”.
Pressure for a code of ethics has increased following some recent cases involving ministers.
In one of them, he traveled to Lima, Peru, during the Copa Libertadores final, in a private jet alongside one of the lawyers involved in the Master case, whose investigations are under the supervision of the magistrate. .
Another case, , revolved around Moraes. The newspaper revealed that the magistrate’s family office hired him for R$3.6 million per month to help defend the institution’s interests.
In October, a group of 25 experts signed a call for a code of ethics.
In this initiative, supported by names such as José Eduardo Cardozo, former Ministers of Justice, and Antonio Cezar Peluso, former Minister of the Supreme Court, experts called for changes in the court, such as the strengthening of collegiality, and the adoption of a code of conduct.
“In times of increasing democratic regression, it is essential that all efforts are made to reinforce the institutional authority of constitutional courts, so that they can fulfill their primary mission of protecting fundamental rights, as well as the rules of the democratic game”, they pointed out in the text.
