Brazil Supreme Court launches review of magistrate payments as minister redirects damages to charities

Justice Edson Fachin, president of Brazil’s Supreme Court (STF) and the National Justice Council (CNJ), created a working group to examine the indemnity payments (“penduricalhos”) that magistrates receive. The group, comprising representatives of the three branches of government, will be formalized on 8 June and has 180 days to propose legislative changes, after which it will submit a report and a draft law to regulate such payments.

Justice Gilmar Mendes announced that the compensation he received from a moral‑damage lawsuit—stemming from personal insults he endured on a 2019 flight between Lisbon and Brasília—will be fully donated to two charitable organisations: the Associação de Pais e Amigos dos Excepcionais (APAE) in Diamantino, Mato Graso, and the Instituto Migrações e Direitos Humanos (IMDH). The first installment of R$ 31 000 was transferred on 1 June. Mendes said the court decision reaffirms the rule‑of‑law principle that personal attacks are not protected by free speech.

Both actions reflect the STF’s focus on transparency and accountability in the judiciary.