Law of Brazil

Law of Brazil is the body of laws and legal institutions governing the country. It is rooted in civil-law traditions and structured by the 1988 Constitution and federal system.

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Constitution of Brazil: Brazil's supreme legal document, promulgated in 1988, establishing fundamental rights and the structure of government. It is the highest source of law and defines the country's legal institutions.
Judiciary of Brazil: Brazil's court system, comprising federal and state courts and specialized branches. Its courts resolve disputes and apply national and local law.
Portuguese law: The legal tradition and institutions developed in Portugal across successive historical periods. Portuguese law supplied foundational rules and legal forms during colonial rule.
Brazilian criminal law: The body of Brazilian statutes and principles defining crimes, penalties, and criminal responsibility. It determines criminal liability and punishment under national law.
Common law: A legal tradition in which judicial decisions serve as a major source of law alongside statutes. Its stronger historical reliance on precedent contrasts with Brazil's civil-law foundations.
Federalism in Brazil: Brazil's division of government among the Union, states, Federal District, and municipalities. Law-making and public authority are divided across these levels.
Supreme Federal Court: Brazil's highest court for constitutional matters and the final authority in many legal disputes. It interprets the Constitution and reviews the constitutionality of laws.
Brazilian Empire: The constitutional monarchy that governed Brazil from independence in 1822 until the republic's establishment in 1889. Imperial institutions shaped early national codes and courts.
Brazilian labor law: The rules governing employment relations, worker protections, and labor institutions in Brazil. It applies constitutional and statutory protections to work.
Civil code: A comprehensive statute that organizes central rules of private law. Brazil's codified private law follows this form, unlike systems relying chiefly on case law.