The politics of Brazil take place in a framework of a federal presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. The political and administrative organization of Brazil comprises the federal government, the 26 states and a federal district, and the municipalities.
The Brazilian Intelligence Agency is the main intelligence agency in Brazil. ABIN's mission is to ensure that the Federal Executive has access to knowledge related to the security of the State and society, such as those involving foreign defense, foreign relations, internal security, socioeconomic development and scientific-technological development.
The law of Brazil is based on statutes and, partly and more recently, a mechanism called súmulas vinculantes. It derives mainly from the European civil law systems, particularly the Portuguese, the Napoleonic French and the German.
The Superior Electoral Court is the highest body of the Brazilian Electoral Justice, which also comprises one Regional Electoral Court in each of the 26 states and the Federal District of the country, as determined by the Article 118 of the Constitution of Brazil.
In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, and highcourt of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of a supreme court are binding on all other courts in a nation and are not subject to further review by any other court. Supreme courts typically function primarily as appellate courts, hearing appeals from decisions of lower trial courts, or from intermediate-level appellate courts. A supreme court can also, in certain circumstances, act as a court of original jurisdiction.
The judiciary of Portugal is a system of courts that together constitute one of the four organs of Sovereignty as defined by the Portuguese Constitution. The courts are independent from the other three Portuguese organs of Sovereignty.
The Superior Court of Justice is the highest appellate court in Brazil for non-constitutional issues regarding federal law. The STJ also has original jurisdiction over some cases. Its jurisdiction is provided for in Article 105 of the Brazilian Constitution.
The National Council of Justice (CNJ) is an administrative and oversight organ of the Brazilian Judiciary created by constitutional amendment in 2004 as a part of judicial reform. Among its responsibilities are ensuring that the judicial system remains autonomous, conducting disciplinary proceedings against members of the Judiciary, and compiling and publishing statistics on the Brazilian court system. The Council has nationwide jurisdiction over all courts except the Supreme Federal Court, but makes no rulings on cases and does not review judgements of other courts. Its fifteen members are chosen by the Supreme Federal Court for two-year terms.
Carlos Alberto Menezes Direito was a Brazilian judge who sat on the Supreme Federal Court, the highest court of law in Brazil, from his appointment in 2007 until his death in 2009.
The Judiciary of Brazil is the group of public entities designated by the Brazilian constitution to carry out the country's judicial functions.
Luiz Fux is a Brazilian judge and the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Federal Court. He is of Romanian Jewish descent, and the first Jewish Brazilian member of the Court. He was previously a minister of the Superior Court of Justice before assuming his position at the Supreme Court.
Teori Albino Zavascki was a Brazilian judge who served as a Minister of the Superior Court of Justice from 8 May 2003 until 29 November 2012, appointed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and as a Minister of the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil from 29 November 2012 until his death on 19 January 2017, having been appointed to the position by President Dilma Rousseff. At the time of his death he was the justice in charge of the trials resulting from Operation Car Wash.
José Antonio Dias Toffoli is a Brazilian lawyer who has been a member of the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil since 2009, nominated by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Toffoli was the president of the Supreme Federal Court for the 2018–20 term.
Rosa Maria Pires Weber is a Brazilian magistrate, former justice and former president of the Supreme Federal Court, former president of the Superior Electoral Court and former justice of the Superior Labor Court.
The President of the Supreme Federal Court is the highest-ranking officer of the Brazilian judiciary branch. The holder is also president of the National Council of Justice (CNJ). Among their responsibilities are representing both the Court and the council before other branches of government and authorities, presiding over plenary sessions of both institutions, enforcing the bylaws of the Court and Council, deciding points of order in their respective sessions, making decisions on injunctions during recess or vacation, and swearing in justices of the Supreme Court and councillors of the CNJ.
The Court of Justice of São Paulo is the judicial branch of the Government of São Paulo. Its head office is in the capital and it has jurisdiction across the state.
The Judiciary of Mexico, officially the Judicial Power of the Federation, is one of the three branches of government in Mexico, and the sole federal judiciary power. It is composed of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, which serves as its highest court, the Federal Judiciary Council, the Federal Electoral Tribunal, regional courts, circuit and appellate collegiate courts, and district courts. In October 2024, Mexico became the only legal system in the world where its judges would be elected by popular vote.
This glossary contains Brazilian terms related to criminal or corruption investigations, and supporting concepts from politics, the law, government, criminology, and law enforcement.
The Brazilian criminal justice system comes from the civil law of Western Europe, in particular Portuguese law, which derives from Roman law. The earliest legal documents in Brazil were land grants and charters dating to the early 16th century, which continued to be used until independence in 1822. Various basic principles of law are enshrined in the 1988 Constitution, such as the principle of legality and the principle of human dignity.
Benedito Gonçalves is a Brazilian magistrate, currently a minister of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ). He was also a minister of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) for the 2021-2023 biennium, as well as corregidor-general of the Electoral Justice.
