Legal Concepts
Fundamental Rights in Brazilian Law
Introduction Fundamental rights (direitos fundamentais) are the cornerstone of the 1988 Federal Constitution, which contains one of the most comprehensive catalogs of rights in comparative …
Human Dignity as a Constitutional Foundation
Introduction Human dignity (dignidade da pessoa humana) is the foundational principle of the 1988 Federal Constitution. Article 1, III establishes it as one of the fundamental foundations of the …
Judicial Review in Brazil
Introduction Judicial review (controle de constitucionalidade) in Brazil is a sophisticated system combining two models: abstract review (controle abstrato or concentrado), modeled on the European …
Legal Certainty and Legitimate Expectations in Brazilian Law
Introduction Legal certainty (segurança jurídica) is a fundamental principle of Brazilian constitutional law, recognized as an implicit foundation of the Democratic State of Law. It encompasses the …
Proportionality and Reasonableness in Brazilian Law
Introduction Proportionality (proporcionalidade) and reasonableness (razoabilidade) are fundamental principles of Brazilian constitutional law, used extensively by the Supreme Federal Court (STF) to …
Rule of Law and Democratic State Under the 1988 Constitution
Introduction The rule of law (Estado de Direito) and the democratic state (Estado Democrático) are foundational concepts of the 1988 Federal Constitution. Article 1 establishes the Democratic State of …
Separation of Powers Under the 1988 Constitution
Introduction The separation of powers (separação dos poderes or tripartição dos poderes) is a fundamental principle of the 1988 Federal Constitution. Article 2 provides that the Legislative, …
Social Function of Property and Contracts in Brazilian Law
Introduction The social function (função social) of property and contracts is a transformative principle of Brazilian law, introduced by the 1988 Federal Constitution and developed by the Civil Code …