Brazil's top judge proposes rules to prevent judicial conflicts of interest

Brazil's judiciary is set to undergo a significant transparency push as Supreme Court President Edson Fachin champions a new resolution to prevent conflicts of interest among judges. The proposal, currently under development at the National Council of Justice (CNJ), aims to bolster integrity, impartiality, and public trust within the judicial system.

The core of the proposed resolution, based on suggestions from the National Observatory for Integrity and Transparency of the Judiciary (Onit), includes requiring judges to periodically declare their assets and private activities. This move is part of a broader effort to address concerns that have caused friction among different factions within the court.

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The legitimacy of jurisdictional activity depends on a structured image built from ethical and republican action, with impartiality being one of the foundations on which society's trust in the Judiciary is built.

Further measures under consideration involve establishing an "ethics hotline" to provide judges with confidential technical support and creating local ethics committees within each tribunal. These committees would be tasked with analyzing specific conflict-of-interest cases relevant to their respective regions. The resolution is slated for presentation to CNJ counselors on August 4, with a vote expected on August 18. If approved, the new regulations will apply to all Brazilian tribunals, excluding the Supreme Court itself, which is developing its own code of ethics.

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measure that is inaugural, capable of generating spontaneous adherence and catapulting more structuring initiatives in the future, such as complaint channels.