Snacks, food vouchers, health plan, daycare allowance, car and driver are part of the benefits of judges and judges from different courts in the country, contrary to what was said, in the (Supreme Federal Court), by a representative of an association of magistrates.
Claudia Marcia de Carvalho Soares, who represented ABMT (Brazilian Association of Labor Magistrates), stated that “first-degree judges don’t have a car, they pay for fuel out of their own pocket, they don’t have a functional apartment, they don’t have a health plan, they don’t have a cafeteria, they don’t have water and they don’t have coffee. Judges have almost nothing, except a car, they barely have snacks.”
The statement was made during a session at the STF that discussed the restriction of compensation funds, the so-called penduricalhos, to the category. The judgment, , comes in the wake of decisions by STF ministers and , which limited the
Soares is a retired judge and, according to data from the Regional Labor Court of the 1st Region, she received more than R$700,000 in net income in 2025. Of this amount, almost R$300,000 corresponds to the months of October, November and December, the period for payment of bonuses such as the thirteenth. In other months, net income was, in general, around R$44 thousand per month.
A Sheet tried to contact all 27 State and Federal Courts of Justice, the six Federal Regional Courts and the 24 Regional Labor Courts to find out what benefits judges and judges have access to.
The Regional Labor Courts responded to the report jointly, through the CSJT (Superior Council of Labor Justice). The Council informed that the standard is to provide cars for the second degree magistracy, linked to functional activities, “whereas in some cases, such as in large courts, the service is individualized and aimed at transporting judges”.
Regarding snacks, confirm the offer in some cases. “When there are morning and afternoon sessions, some regional offices provide a snack for male and female magistrates.” It also mentions the offer of health plans or reimbursement for medical assistance.
The TJ-RN (Court of Justice of ) reported that judges, judges and civil servants receive food vouchers of R$2,000 and health aid with amounts ranging from R$1,200 to R$1,900. Furthermore, judges have the right to functional vehicles.
The TJ-RS (Court of Justice of Rio Grande do Sul) said that only the president, the vice-presidents and the general inspector have a car. The court says it has food assistance, health assistance, daycare/nanny assistance with limitations on the child’s age and, for judges, snacks on trial days.
Magistrates of the TJ-MG (Court of Justice of ) receive health, food and daycare benefits. Furthermore, “judges may choose to have a car and driver exclusively to carry out their functional activities”.
Through the consultancy, the (Court of Justice of São Paulo) said it offered health aid, which includes reimbursement of proven medical expenses “up to a certain limit”.
The TJDFT (Court of Justice of the Federal District and Territories) and the TJ-AM (Court of Justice of Amazonas) did not name the benefits given.
According to the TJ-SC (Court of Justice of Santa Catarina), the court does not pay any benefits other than those determined by the . The court said it would make official vehicles available to magistrates for justified travel and work.
The TJ-MT (Court of Justice of Mato Grosso) stated, in a generic way, that “the aforementioned benefits are not paid”, such as car and fuel assistance. The court said it would only pay the remuneration provided for by law, as did the TJ-RR (Roraima Court of Justice).
The TJ-RJ (Court of Justice of Rio de Janeiro) reported that only judges have the right to an armored institutional vehicle, and cited a health plan for civil servants and a self-management plan for its magistrates. Furthermore, “the court provides an area for Sesc to train professionals in the food sector, through the so-called school restaurant, which is open to all public users of the institution and the meals are paid for by themselves.”
For Transparência Brasil, although there are variations in the benefits given to judges in different institutions and career levels, the amount received in compensation and bonuses repeatedly violates the constitutional ceiling.
“Some magistrates may receive more than others, but the majority earn above the ceiling, especially in the first and second instance courts. It is a systemic phenomenon in the Judiciary.”
Vitor Rhein Schirato, professor of administrative law at , classifies as “absurd” the demonstration about the lack of snacks and assistance for judges and judges.
“It’s obvious that the judge has to pay for the fuel and the car. Why do all the professions in the world pay for their own car and fuel and the judge doesn’t? That doesn’t make any sense, it’s absurd,” says Schirato.
