On Sunday, September 13, 2026, the “No One Above the Law” movement issued a public statement calling for the recusal of the officials implicated in the Master case and for collegial decision-making in the handling of matters with political and electoral implications at the Federal Supreme Court (STF). The document also calls for a thorough and expedited investigation into matters related to banker Daniel Vorcaro and the adoption of a binding code of conduct for the Court’s justices, as a first step toward structural reform of the judiciary.
“No One Above the Law” is a nonpartisan coalition within the democratic movement that advocates for transparency and integrity in the Brazilian judiciary. Coordinated by Transparência Brasil, alongside organizations such as Pacto pela Democracia and República.org, the movement brings together a range of civil society organizations and prominent figures recognized for their work on this agenda.
Launched in December 2025 to advocate for clear rules of conduct for justices of the higher courts, the movement calls for mechanisms to prevent conflicts of interest, active transparency, and independent oversight of the judiciary. The petition “For a Code of Conduct in the STF,” launched at the start of the movement, has already gathered more than 78,000 signatures. Among those participating in the initiative are the president of the São Paulo Bar Association (OAB-SP), Leonardo Sica, and professors Conrado Hübner Mendes and Maria Tereza Sadek of the University of São Paulo (USP).
According to the movement, the recent revelations in the Master case represent the ultimate expression of the destructive potential of conflicts of interest, in which Vorcaro was allegedly able to orchestrate and mobilize a powerful network involving governors, mayors, pension funds, public servants, Supreme Court justices, and the Attorney General in his favor to try to evade the law.
“Justices have been exercising their unilateral power in a dysfunctional manner. This practice has led to a significant erosion of the Court’s institutional integrity. They also abuse their discretion. All of this undermines confidence in the justice system,” says Hübner Mendes.
The movement also calls on the STF, under the presidency of Justice Edson Fachin, to reinforce collegiality and due process in the actions of all its members. “Society expects the Presidency to take the reins in the conflict among its justices and continue to make decisions like the recent ones, in which Fachin took over as rapporteur for the fake news investigation and overturned unilateral decisions regarding the leadership of the Federal Police,” says Juliana Sakai, executive director of Transparência Brasil.
The movement advocates for the adoption of a binding code of conduct for justices of the higher courts as a first step toward structural reform of the judiciary. The organizations consider the proposal submitted to the National Council of Justice (CNJ)—which is merely advisory in nature and does not include the STF—to be insufficient. As a reference, they cite the proposals from the São Paulo Chapter of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB-SP), presented in 2026, and from Justice Luiz Philippe Vieira de Mello Filho, current president of the Superior Labor Court (TST), presented to the CNJ in 2023.
“In the Republic, no one is above the law. Presidential candidates are not above the law. Neither are their family members or allies. Neither are businesspeople or economic actors. Neither are members of Congress, cabinet ministers, nor the President of the Republic. And, above all, not even those responsible for enforcing the law are above it,” the text states.
Read the full public statement at this link.
