Brazilian Bar Association judicial reform efforts

The Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) has engaged in multiple efforts to influence the country’s judicial system through legislative and structural proposals.

In mid-August 2026, the Federal Council of the OAB and its 27 sectional councils requested that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva veto Bill 429/2024. This legislation seeks to restructure the Federal Justice fee system and establish the Special Fund of the Federal Justice (Fejufe). The OAB argued that the bill could increase costs for civil actions from 1% to 3% of case values, potentially hindering access to justice for workers, retirees, and middle-income families.

Concurrently, the São Paulo section of the OAB (OAB-SP) released a 77-page proposal aimed at addressing a credibility crisis within the Supreme Federal Court (STF). The document recommends implementing fixed 12-year terms for ministers and raising the minimum entry age from 35 to 50 years. To improve integrity and transparency, the OAB-SP suggested a formal code of conduct to regulate monocratic decisions, conflicts of interest, and political manifestations by ministers.