ELEVEN ISLANDS OR ONE ISLAND AND TEN LITTLE ISLANDS? THE BRAZILIAN SUPREME FEDERAL COURT CHIEF JUSTICE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE COURT'S PERFORMANCE

• Main Author: Luiz Fernando Gomes Esteves
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro 2020-04-01
• Series: Revista de Estudos Institucionais
• Subjects: supremo tribunal federal; processo decisório; desenho institucional; presidente do tribunal; poderes individuais
• Online Access: https://estudosinstitucionais.com/REI/article/view/463

In the last decade, some studies have highlighted the powers of the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court (STF) justices to act individually. In this paper, I argue that the Chief Justice of the Court has special powers for acting individually. After describing these powers, I point out hypotheses that can explain their origins and possible consequences of the existence and use of special powers by the Chief Justice. My conclusion is that the Chief Justice has much more powers compared to the other justices of the STF, which would justify a new research agenda.