The National Council of Justice[a] (CNJ) is an administrative and oversight organ of the Brazilian Judiciary created by constitutional amendment in 2004 as a part of judicial reform.

The question of jurisdiction arose, regarding independence of the judiciary, but didn't go anywhere, and the Council was seen as only a general internal affairs office.

[2] During the period of redemocratization in Brazil, the question arose again, with the Afonso Arinos Commission, supported by the Brazilian Bar Association, which proposed the creation of an external control "Council" with administrative and oversight duties.

However, the proposal failed in the face of pressure from the national judiciary, which named fears about judicial independence, breach of the separation of powers, and absence of similar bodies in the executive or legislative branches.

[2] Recent elections The National Council of Justice is a body of the Judiciary of Brazil whose goal is to improve the work of the Brazilian judicial system, mainly with regard to control and administrative and procedural transparency.

Furthermore, the CNJ develops and coordinates several national programs prioritizing areas such as the Environment, Human Rights, Technology, and Institutional Management.

Among these are public judicial policies addressing violence against women, reintegrating former prison inmates, promoting of appropriate conflict resolution methods, increasing the productivity of judges and courts, late paternity recognition, adoption of children and adolescents, among others.