Politics · Brazil · 3 hrs ago
Brazilian Bar Association backs limits on Supreme Court justices’ solo rulings
Brazil’s Federal Council of the Bar Association approved proposals to change the judiciary on Wednesday.
The proposals include limits on single-judge rulings in cases with major institutional impact, requiring some decisions to be reviewed by a court panel within a reasonable time.
The association also wants deadlines for judges to return cases they have put on hold while seeking more time, so hearings do not remain delayed indefinitely.
Its six proposals also include fixed terms for Supreme Court justices, a code of conduct and rules on conflicts of interest.
The association says the proposals reflect long-standing priorities and are not a response to specific events, although they come amid tensions around Brazil’s Supreme Court and cases linked to Banco Master.
A Supreme Court case involving those investigations remains unresolved after a judge requested more time to consider it.
A committee is preparing the association’s final proposals for submission to Brazil’s Congress.
The Federal Council of the Brazilian Bar Association backed limits on individual rulings by Supreme Court justices.
It said urgent individual rulings or those with significant institutional effects should go to the relevant full panel within a reasonable time.
The proposal also calls for rules setting deadlines for justices to return cases after requesting more time to review them.
The measures are part of six proposals for judicial reform approved by the association.
The association said the proposals aim to strengthen collective decision-making and improve legal certainty.
- Who
- The Federal Council of the Brazilian Bar Association, known as the OAB.
- What
- It backed limits on individual rulings by Supreme Court justices and approved five other judicial reform proposals.
- When
- Wednesday, October 14, 2026.
- Where
- Brazil.
- Why
- The OAB said the proposals aim to strengthen collective decision-making and improve legal certainty.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The OAB Federal Council established a commission to mobilize support for judicial reform.
The council created another committee to consolidate proposals from regional sections and prepare a final reform text for Congress.
The Supreme Court plenary discussed whether procedures related to Banco Master investigations involving justices Alexandre de Moraes and André Mendonça should be considered together; the hearing was interrupted after Flávio Dino requested more time to review the case.
The OAB Federal Council approved limits on individual rulings as part of six judicial reform proposals.
- Approved
- Six judicial reform proposals
- Ruling review
- Individual rulings with significant institutional effects should go to the relevant panel within a reasonable time
- Time to review
- The OAB proposed deadlines for returning cases after a request for more time
- National president
- Beto Simonetti
- Next step
- The final proposed changes are to be presented to Congress
What people are saying
They represent historic causes of the Brazilian legal profession, built over decades of commitment to the Constitution, citizenship and democracy.
Individual decisions of a precautionary nature or with relevant institutional effects should be submitted to the competent collegiate body within a reasonable time.