Starting this Friday (Aug. 14, 2026), the Federal Supreme Court (STF) will hear Direct Action of Unconstitutionality (ADI) No. 7,892, filed by the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abraji) against the requirement of prior identification to access the salaries of prosecutors and state attorneys. Transparência Brasil (TB) and four other organizations have requested to participate as amici curiae in the case, but the request has not yet been considered. The hearing will take place in a virtual plenary session, with Justice Gilmar Mendes serving as the reporting justice, and is expected to conclude by August 21.
The lawsuit, filed in October 2025 with the support of Rede Liberdade, challenges Article 172 of Resolution No. 281/2023 of the National Council of the Public Prosecutor’s Office (CNMP), which now requires prior user identification as a condition for accessing pay stubs issued by the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Abraji argues that the requirement for prior identification creates obstacles to journalistic work and promotes intimidation against reporters, citing the Gazeta do Povo case (Rcl 23.899/PR). It also points to Supreme Court precedents that recognized the legitimacy of disclosing the names of public servants along with their salaries (ARE 652.777/SP).
Studies by Transparência Brasil formed the basis of the lawsuit. In August 2025, the organization identified ten state Public Prosecutor’s Offices that already required personal data—name, CPF, and, in some cases, cell phone number and Gov.br login with photo verification—to grant access to salary information. In addition, it found that three states (Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, and Mato Grosso do Sul) had been publishing pay stubs since 2024 without identifying the recipients by name.
On Dec. 19, 2025 , TB requested to join the case as an amicus curiae alongside Instituto República, Plataforma Justa, Movimento Pessoas à Frente, and Open Knowledge Brasil, all represented by the law firm Rubens Naves Santos Jr. Amorim. The joint request from the five organizations has not yet been reviewed by the Supreme Court.
Alongside other organizations, Transparência Brasil hasalready secured a related victory: it successfully advocated for the inclusion, in the 2025 Budget Guidelines Law (LDO), of a provision prohibiting the requirement of prior identification to access the salaries of federal public servants. This prohibition was retained in the 2026 LDO.
“The requirement for prior identification undermines Brazil’s civic space by embarrassing citizens and discouraging the exercise of social oversight. This measure comes at a time of growing public dissatisfaction with the privileges granted to the Judiciary and the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Instead of imposing rules of oversight and ethical conduct on these exorbitant salaries, the CNMP creates barriers that reduce transparency regarding this information and signal to society and the press that it is they who must be monitored, not the beneficiaries of public funds,” states Juliana Sakai, executive director of Transparência Brasil.
