Brazil

The Supreme Federal Court is responsible, essentially, for safeguarding the Constitution, and it is within its competence:
I – to institute legal proceeding and trial, in the first instance, of:
a) direct actions of unconstitutionality of a federal or state law or normative act, and declaratory actions of constitutionality of a federal law or normative act;
b) in common criminal offenses, the President of the Republic, the Vice-President, the members of the National Congress, its own Justices and the Attorney-General of the Republic;
c) in common criminal offenses and crimes of malversation, the Ministers of State and the Commanders of the Navy, the Army, and the Air Force, except as provided in article 52, I, the members of the Superior Courts, those of the Federal Audit Court and the heads of permanent diplomatic missions;
d) habeas corpus, when the petitioner is any one of the persons referred to in the preceding subitems; the writ of mandamus and habeas data against acts of the President of the Republic, of the Directing Boards of the Chamber of Deputies and of the Federal Senate, of the Federal Audit Court, of the Attorney-General of the Republic and of the Supreme Federal Court itself;
e) litigation between a foreign State or an international organization and the Union, a state, the Federal District or a territory;
f) disputes and conflicts between the Union and the states, the Union and the Federal District, or between one another, including the respective indirect administration bodies;
g) extradition requested by a foreign state;
h) (revoked);
i) habeas corpus, when the constraining party is a Superior Court, or when the constraining party or the petitioner is an authority or employee whose acts are directly subject to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Federal Court, or in the case of a crime, subject to the same jurisdiction in one sole instance;
j) criminal review of and actions to overrule its final judgements;
l) claims for the preservation of its powers and guarantee of the authority of its decisions;
m) enforcement of court decisions in the cases where it has original competence, the delegation of duties to perform procedural acts being allowed;
n) a suit in which all members of the judicature are directly or indirectly involved, and a suit in which more than half of the members of the court of origin are disqualified or have a direct or indirect interest;
o) conflicts of powers between the Superior Court of Justice and any other courts, between Superior Courts, or between the latter and any other court;
p) petitions of provisional remedy in direct actions of unconstitutionality;
q) writs of injunction, when drawing up of the regulation is the responsibility of the President of the Republic, of the National Congress, of the Chamber of Deputies, of the Federal Senate, of the Directing Boards of one of these legislative houses, of the Federal Audit Court, of one of the Superior Courts, or of the Supreme Federal Court itself;
r) lawsuits against the National Council of Justice and against the National Council of the Public Prosecution;
II – to judge on ordinary appeal:
a) habeas corpus, writs of mandamus, habeas data and writs of injunction decided in a sole instance by the Superior Courts, in the event of a denial;
b) political crimes;
III – to judge, on extraordinary appeal, cases decided in a sole or last instance, when the decision appealed:
a) is contrary to a provision of this Constitution;
b) declares a treaty or a federal law unconstitutional;
c) considers valid a law or act of a local government contested in the light of this Constitution;
d) considers valid a local law challenged in the light of a federal law.
Paragraph 1. A claim of non-compliance with a fundamental precept deriving from this Constitution shall be examined by the Supreme Federal Court, under the terms of the law.
… (Art. 102)

The following may file direct actions of unconstitutionality and declaratory actions of constitutionality:
I – the President of the Republic;
II – the directing board of the Federal Senate;
III – the directing board of the Chamber of Deputies;
IV – the Directing Board of a State Legislative Assembly or of the Federal District Legislative Chamber;
V – a State Governor or the Federal District Governor;
VI – the Attorney-General of the Republic;
VII – the Federal Council of the Brazilian Bar Association;
VIII – a political party represented in the National Congress;
IX – a confederation of labour unions or a professional association of a nationwide nature.
… (Art. 103)

The Federal Supreme Court may, ex-officio or upon request, upon decision of two thirds of its members, and following reiterated judicial decisions on constitutional matter, issue a summula (restatement of case law) which, as from publication in the official press, shall have a binding effect upon the lower bodies of the Judicial Power and the direct and indirect public administration, in the federal, state, and local levels, and which may also be reviewed or revoked, as set forth in law.
Paragraph 1. The purpose of a summula is to validate, construe, and impart effectiveness to some rules about which there is a current controversy among judicial bodies or among such bodies and the public administration, and such controversy brings about serious juridical insecurity and the filing of multiple lawsuits involving similar issues.
Paragraph 2. Without prejudice to the provisions the law may establish, the issuance, review, or revocation of a summula may be requested by those who may file a direct action of unconstitutionality.
Paragraph 3. An administrative act or judicial decision which contradicts the applicable summula or which unduly applies a summula may be appealed to the Supreme Federal Court, and if the appeal is granted, such Court shall declare the administrative act null and void or overrule the appealed judicial decision, ordering that a new judicial decision be issued, with or without applying the summula, as the case may be. (Art. 103-A)