Brazil's Legal System: Sources of Law and Rule of Law Strength

This assignment provides a comprehensive overview of the Brazilian legal system. It begins by outlining Brazil's political structure as a federative republic with a federal presidential representative democratic republic system, highlighting the roles of the President and Congress. The assignment then identifies the key sources of law in Brazil, emphasizing the importance of the 1988 Constitution, constitutional amendments, complementary laws, and various codes and legislation, including the Civil Code, and Commercial Code. It also discusses the role of official gazettes, judicial decisions (although not a formal source), scholarly opinions, and international laws. The analysis further details the hierarchical structure of the Brazilian court system, with the Supreme Federal Court as the highest authority, and the division between specialized and ordinary courts. Furthermore, the assignment categorizes Brazil's legal system as Romano Germanic, explaining its characteristics such as the Constitution as supreme law and the separation of powers. Finally, it assesses the strength of the rule of law in Brazil, concluding that it is average due to ambiguities in power distribution between the executive, judiciary, and legislative branches, and the limited role of the President.