The article compares ideas prevailing at the São Paulo Justice Court with that of the Association of Judges for Democracy and the public image of judges in printed media. It relates the distinct contents of those ideas to theories of civic professionalism and democratic professionalism. The analysis is based on the conception that there is a pluralization of identity forms of professional groups and that those identifications are a result of negotiated construction between peers, competitors, and the public. Therefore, professional groups' publications and mainstream media are relevant instruments to investigate the process of negotiation about judges' professional identity. The database includes content analysis of the texts about judges or written by them, published on the newspaper Folha de São Paulo from 1996 to 2002; of the news section and speeches published on São Paulo Justice Court's journal Revista de jurisprudência from 1968 to 1997 and articles on the newspaper Juizes para a Democrada from 1992 to 2002. Each of those collections was classified in four broad themes, focusing on professional ideas, judges' relations to other State powers, the interprofessional and intraprofessional relations and interests expressed by them. The study compares those three bases in order to form a broad picture of São Paulo judges and chief judges' collective identifications. 13110135Mundial, B., (2002) Brazil Equitable, Competitive, Sustainable - Contributions for Debate, , www.worldbank.orgBardin, L., (1979) Análise de Conteúdo, 70. , Lisboa: EdiçõesBonelli, M.G., (2002) Profissionalismo e Política no Mundo do Direito, , São Carlos: EDUFSCar/Sumaré/FapespBonelli, M.G., (2004) Ideologias do Profissionalismo em Disputa no Mundo do Direito, , São Carlos: UFSCar/DCSoCampos, R., (1999) Os Desembargadores Paulistas e Seus Discursos: Uma Análise da Revista de Jurisprudência do Tribunal de Justiça do Estado de São Paulo, Entre os Anos de 1967 a 1997, , São Carlos: UFSCar/DCSoCastro, C.M., (2002) Poder Judiciário Paulista: Imagem e Competição Por Poder Simbólico Retratadas na Mídia, , São Carlos: UFSCar/PPGCSoDubar, C., (2000) La Crise des Identités: L'interpretation D'une Mutation, , Paris: Presses Universitaires de FranceElias, N., (1990) O Processo Civilizador. V. 1 e 2, , Rio de Janeiro: ZaharHalliday, T., Politics and civic professionalism: Legal elites and cause lawyers (1999) Law & Social Inquiry, (24), pp. 1013-1060Hochschild, A.R., (2003) The Commercialization of Intimate Life, , Berkeley: University of California PressHohlfeldt, A., Hipóteses contemporâneas de pesquisa em comunicação (2001) Teorias da Comunicação, , HOHLFELDT, A., et alii. Petrópolis: VozesJunqueira, E.S., O diálogo entre profissionais do mundo do Direito paulista na abertura de anos forenses, 1967-1997 (1998) Monografia, , São Carlos, UFSCar/DCSoJunqueira, E.B., (1997) Juízes: Retrato em Preto e Branco, , SP: Letra Capital EditoraKoerner, A., (1998) Judiciário e Cidadania na Constituição da República Brasileira, , SP: DCP USP/Editora HucitecMotta, L.G., (2002) Imprensa e Poder, , Brasília: UnBOlson, S.M., Dzur, A.W., Revisiting informal justice: Restorative justice and democratic professionalism (2004) Law & Society Review, 38, p. 1Porto, M.P., Enquadramentos da mídia e política. Caxambu (2002) XXVI Encontro Anual da ANPOCSSarat, A., Scheingold, S., (1998) Cause Lawyering: Political Commitments and Professional Responsabilities, , NY: Oxford University PressStrauss, A., (1999) Espelhos e Máscaras, , SP: EduspThompson, J.B., (1998) A mídia e a modernidade: Uma teoria social da mídia, , Petrópolis: VozesThompson, J.B., (1995) Ideologia e Cultura Moderna, , Petrópolis: VozesTuchman, G., (1978) Making News, , New York: The Free PressVianna, L.W., (1997) Corpo e Alma da Magistratura Brasileira, , RJ: Editora Revan/Iuperj