Brazil's Supreme Court has ordered seven state courts to provide detailed explanations regarding payments made to judges that exceed the legal salary ceiling [1].
This move represents a crackdown on "penduricalhos" — extra perks and bonuses that allow judicial salaries to surpass constitutional limits. By auditing these payments, the court aims to enforce a March ruling that prohibited such supersalaries to ensure fiscal discipline within the judiciary.
Justices Alexandre de Moraes, Flávio Dino, Cristiano Zanin, and Gilmar Mendes issued coordinated orders demanding the delivery of payroll records from the last four months [1], [2]. The court is targeting the state courts of Justice in the Federal District, Goiás, Maranhão, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, and Rondônia [1].
These seven tribunals [1] have been given a deadline of 48 hours from the time of notification to respond [3]. The investigation focuses on whether these courts ignored the salary cap established by the Supreme Court earlier this year.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes said that the failure to comply with these demands could lead to the removal of court presidents from their positions [3]. The court is seeking to identify exactly how much was paid above the ceiling and through which administrative mechanisms these payments were processed [2].
While some reports describe the payments as "supersalaries" and others as "penduricalhos," both terms refer to the same practice of adding bonuses to a base salary to circumvent the constitutional cap [1], [3].
“Seven state courts must explain payments exceeding salary caps within 48 hours.”
This action signals a shift toward stricter internal oversight within the Brazilian judiciary. By threatening the removal of court presidents, the Supreme Court is moving beyond mere guidelines to active enforcement of the constitutional salary ceiling, attempting to eliminate the systemic use of bonuses to bypass pay limits.
