Brazil Supreme Court Orders Seven State Courts to Refund Excessive Payments

Brazil's Supreme Federal Court ordered the presidents of seven state courts to refund payments deemed excessive and explain the breach ^[1].

The ruling targets the systemic use of "penduricalhos" — supplementary payments and bonuses that allow judicial salaries to bypass legal limits. By enforcing the constitutional ceiling, the court aims to curb public spending and ensure judicial pay remains within legal boundaries.

Ministers Alexandre de Moraes, Flávio Dino, and Cristiano Zanin issued the order on Wednesday ^[1]. The decision affects the Courts of Justice in Goiás, Maranhão, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rondônia, and the Federal District ^[1].

Alexandre de Moraes said the payments are exorbitant and violate the constitutional ceiling established by the Supreme Court ^[1]. The ministers determined that these tribunals maintained payments that exceeded the legal limits set for public servants.

Flávio Dino said the court requires the presidents of these tribunals to provide clarifications within 48 hours ^[2]. This deadline forces immediate transparency regarding how the payments were calculated and why they were permitted to exceed the ceiling.

Cristiano Zanin said the Supreme Federal Court may adopt disciplinary measures against the court presidents if the values are not returned ^[3]. This threat of disciplinary action signals a shift toward stricter accountability for judicial administrators.

The order requires both the return of the funds and a detailed explanation of the non-compliance [1, 3]. The affected courts must now reconcile their payrolls with the constitutional limits or face sanctions from the high court.