The Judiciary Power in Brazil

The Supreme Federal Court of Brazil is the highest court in the Brazilian judiciary system. Brazil operates under civil law. Under civil law, Brazil closely follows the statutes set forth by the Constitution. In fact, this is the primary reasoning behind any judicial rulings, and little else is considered.

The Supreme Federal Court is also known as the Constitutional Court since it ensures that all statutes are followed correctly. The rulings of the Supreme Court cannot be appealed. Since 2002, all meetings of the Supreme Federal Court, both judicial and administrative, have been televised in Brazil. Unlike the courts in America, the Supreme Federal Court is open to the public.

Supreme Court Justices

There are eleven judges that rule in the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil. They are called Ministers and after the appointment by the President, the Senate is entitled to either accept or reject it.

In the Supreme Court, there is a mandatory retirement age of 70 for all judges. Many of the judges serve for a very long time. Even in the current lineup of Brazilian Supreme Federal Court judges, two men have served for more than 22 years. There are also currently two women judges serving in the Supreme Federal Court.

Supreme Court President

Each President serves a two-year term, and re-election is not an option. The person who will be selected as President is the most senior Minister in the Court that has not yet served a term as President. After his or her term, the next most senior is selected, and so on.

Once all members of the Court have served as President, the rotation begins again. However, since the mandatory retirement age is 70, the 22-year rotation usually involves some new Ministers.

Phone: 214-432-8100

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