National Council of Justice and Supreme Federal Court President Edson Fachin said on Tuesday that judges must honor their robes and face accountability when they make mistakes. He delivered the remarks during an administrative disciplinary trial against magistrates who handled Operation Car Wash cases in the Federal Regional Court of the 4th Region and the 13th Federal Court of Curitiba.
Fachin stated that judges make errors, even if occasionally, and must answer for them, adding that no member of the judiciary is infallible. He noted that public administrators and parliamentarians also make mistakes and must answer for them, while stressing that public administration and Parliament remain fundamental to the democratic state of law.
Magistrate Sanctions and Code of Ethics
The council unanimously voted to impose a 60-day availability penalty on federal appellate judges Loraci Flores de Lima and Carlos Eduardo Thompson Flores Lenz. The council deemed the penalty fully served after deducting the period both judges had already spent under preventive suspension. It also archived the proceeding against federal judge Danilo Pereira Júnior after ruling the charges against him unfounded.
Fachin's remarks coincided with an image crisis at the Supreme Federal Court following investigations into Banco Master. Those inquiries revealed connections between Daniel Vorcaro and figures across political and legal circles, reaching court members and driving calls for greater transparency. Fachin has made creating an ethics code for the court a priority, tasking Minister Cármen Lúcia in February with drafting rules, though she has not yet submitted a proposal. In June, Fachin stated he intended to bring the proposal to a plenary vote once delivered.
