Moraes says judges can receive payment for lectures and own shares in companies.

André Richter, reporter for Agência Brasil - Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), stated this Tuesday (4) that judges can receive payment for lectures and own shares in companies, as long as they do not act as managing partners. 

During this afternoon's session, the minister described criticisms of the Court's ministers' actions as "bad faith." The statements were made during the trial discussing the validity of the National Council of Justice (CNJ) resolution that restricted the use of social media by magistrates.

According to the minister, the Organic Law of the National Judiciary (Loman) only prevents judges from being managing partners of companies. Moraes said that the judiciary is the public career with the most prohibitions on conduct. 

"A judge can receive payment for lectures, can be a shareholder [of a company]. Loman [the law] says they cannot be a managing partner. If that were the case, no judge could have investments in a bank, shares in a bank. If they are a shareholder in a bank, then they cannot judge anyone in the financial system," he stated.

Minister Dias Toffoli also agreed with Moraes. “He [the judge] would have to donate his inheritance to some charity if he [the judge] has a father or mother who is a shareholder in a company or farm. Several magistrates are farmers, they own companies. Not exercising administration, they have every right to receive their dividends,” he added.

Relatives

Alexandre de Moraes also said that the Supreme Court did not authorize the participation of court members in trials involving law firms owned by relatives. In 2023, the Court overturned the amendment to the Code of Civil Procedure (CPC) that broadened the disqualification of judges.

"A judge cannot have any connection to the case he is judging. All judges, including the judges of this Supreme Court, never judge any case to which they have any connection," he stated.

Code of ethics

Moraes and Toffoli's pronouncements on the conduct of judges come at a time when the Court's president, Minister Edson Fachin, is discussing the adoption of a Code of Ethics for the Supreme Court.

Last month, the ministers were criticized for their conduct regarding the investigations into Banco Master.

Moraes denied having participated in a meeting with the former president of Banco Regional de Brasília (BRB), Paulo Henrique Costa, in the first half of 2025, at the home of banker Daniel Vorcaro, owner of Banco Master. 

The alleged meeting was reported by the Metrópoles news portal and supposedly occurred amidst the BRB's attempted purchase of Master. In a press release, Moraes called the report "false and misleading."

Before Master was liquidated by the Central Bank, the law firm Barci de Moraes, which belongs to the minister's family, provided services to Vorcaro's bank. 

Earlier this month, Minister Dias Toffoli came under criticism for remaining as the rapporteur for the case after news reports indicated that the Federal Police had found irregularities in an investment fund linked to Banco Master. The fund had purchased a stake in the Tayayá resort, located in Paraná, which was owned by relatives of the minister.