Brazil's National Justice Council archives disciplinary cases against Mato Grosso judges

The Conselho Nacional de Justiça (CNJ) ruled to archive three disciplinary procedures that targeted suspended Mato Grosso Court of Justice judges Sebastião de Moraes Filho and João Ferreira Filho. The decisions, signed by the CNJ corregedor Mauro Campbell Marques and published on 9–10 June, concluded that the complaints—filed by parties who had lost cases—lacked sufficient evidence of any administrative infraction.

The three cases concerned: (1) a dispute over a rural property claimed to involve indigenous interest, in which the complainants sought a disciplinary review of the judges’ decision; (2) a request for access to confidential files of Operation Sisamnes, an investigation into the alleged sale of judicial decisions, which the CNJ denied; and (3) an indemnity claim stemming from a fatal accident where the judges’ interpretation of prescription was contested. Campbell emphasized that the CNJ does not function as a reviewer of judicial rulings, stating “Por ora, estão ausentes indícios de materialidade e autoria de infração administrativa aptos a deflagrar procedimento administrativo disciplinar.”

Both judges remain suspended pending a separate, ongoing investigation into a suspected sentence‑selling scheme. Sebastião de Moraes Filho was later compulsorily retired in 2025, while João Ferreira Filho has been on precautionary leave since August 2024.