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Jurisdiction and Access
- English
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) - Portuguese
Compete ao Supremo Tribunal Federal, precipuamente, a guarda da Constituição, cabendo-lhe:
I - processar e julgar, originariamente:
a) a ação direta de inconstitucionalidade de lei ou ato normativo federal ou estadual e a ação declaratória de constitucionalidade de lei ou ato normativo federal;
b) nas infrações penais comuns, o Presidente da República, o Vice-Presidente, os membros do Congresso Nacional, seus próprios Ministros e o Procurador-Geral da República;
c) nas infrações penais comuns e nos crimes de responsabilidade, os Ministros de Estado e os Comandantes da Marinha, do Exército e da Aeronáutica, ressalvado o disposto no art. 52, I, os membros dos Tribunais Superiores, os do Tribunal de Contas da União e os chefes de missão diplomática de caráter permanente;
d) o habeas corpus, sendo paciente qualquer das pessoas referidas nas alíneas anteriores; o mandado de segurança e o habeas data contra atos do Presidente da República, das Mesas da Câmara dos Deputados e do Senado Federal, do Tribunal de Contas da União, do Procurador-Geral da República e do próprio Supremo Tribunal Federal;
e) o litígio entre Estado estrangeiro ou organismo internacional e a União, o Estado, o Distrito Federal ou o Território;
f) as causas e os conflitos entre a União e os Estados, a União e o Distrito Federal, ou entre uns e outros, inclusive as respectivas entidades da administração indireta;
g) a extradição solicitada por Estado estrangeiro;
h) (Revogado pela Emenda Constitucional nº 45, de 2004)
i) o habeas corpus, quando o coator for Tribunal Superior ou quando o coator ou o paciente for autoridade ou funcionário cujos atos estejam sujeitos diretamente à jurisdição do Supremo Tribunal Federal, ou se trate de crime sujeito à mesma jurisdição em uma única instância;
j) a revisão criminal e a ação rescisória de seus julgados;
l) a reclamação para a preservação de sua competência e garantia da autoridade de suas decisões;
m) a execução de sentença nas causas de sua competência originária, facultada a delegação de atribuições para a prática de atos processuais;
n) a ação em que todos os membros da magistratura sejam direta ou indiretamente interessados, e aquela em que mais da metade dos membros do tribunal de origem estejam impedidos ou sejam direta ou indiretamente interessados;
o) os conflitos de competência entre o Superior Tribunal de Justiça e quaisquer tribunais, entre Tribunais Superiores, ou entre estes e qualquer outro tribunal;
p) o pedido de medida cautelar das ações diretas de inconstitucionalidade;
q) o mandado de injunção, quando a elaboração da norma regulamentadora for atribuição do Presidente da República, do Congresso Nacional, da Câmara dos Deputados, do Senado Federal, das Mesas de uma dessas Casas Legislativas, do Tribunal de Contas da União, de um dos Tribunais Superiores, ou do próprio Supremo Tribunal Federal;
r) as ações contra o Conselho Nacional de Justiça e contra o Conselho Nacional do Ministério Público;
II - julgar, em recurso ordinário:
a) o habeas corpus, o mandado de segurança, o habeas data e o mandado de injunção decididos em única instância pelos Tribunais Superiores, se denegatória a decisão;
b) o crime político;
III - julgar, mediante recurso extraordinário, as causas decididas em única ou última instância, quando a decisão recorrida:
a) contrariar dispositivo desta Constituição;
b) declarar a inconstitucionalidade de tratado ou lei federal;
c) julgar válida lei ou ato de governo local contestado em face desta Constituição.
d) julgar válida lei local contestada em face de lei federal.
§ 1.º A argüição de descumprimento de preceito fundamental, decorrente desta Constituição, será apreciada pelo Supremo Tribunal Federal, na forma da lei.
… (Art. 102)
Jurisdiction and Access
- English
The Constitutional Court is referred [to a matter] by the President of the Republic, the President of the Council of the Nation, the President of the National People's Assembly or by the Prime Minister or the Head of the Government, according to the case.
It may equally be referred [to a matter] by forty (40) Deputies or twenty-five (25) members of the Council of the Nation.
The exercise of the referral enunciated in the two preceding paragraphs does not extend to the referral [to a matter] in a pleading [exception] of unconstitutionality enunciated in Article 195 below. (Art. 193) - Arabic
تخطر المحكمة الدستورية من رئيس الجمهورية أو رئيس مجلس األمة أو رئيس المجلس الشعبي الوطني أو من الوزير األول أو رئيس الحكومة، حسب الحالة.
يمكن إخطارها كذلك من أربعين (40) نائبا أو خمسة وعشرين (25) عضوا في مجلس األمة.
ال تمتد ممارسة اإلخطار المبين في الفقرتين األولى والثانية إلى اإلخطار بالدفع بعدم الدستورية المبّين في المادة 195 أدناه. (المــادة 193) - French
La Cour constitutionnelle est saisie par le Président de la République, le Président du Conseil de la Nation, le Président de l’Assemblée Populaire Nationale ou par le Premier ministre ou le Chef du Gouvernement, selon le cas.
Elle peut être également saisie par quarante (40) députés ou vingt-cinq (25) membres du Conseil de la Nation.
L’exercice de la saisine énoncée aux deux alinéas précédents ne s’étend pas à la saisine en exception d’inconstitutionnalité énoncée à l’article 195 ci-dessous. (Art. 193)
Jurisdiction and Access
- English…
(2) Without derogating from the generality of subsection (1) the High Court has jurisdiction -
(a) to enforce the fundamental human rights and freedoms guaranteed by this Constitution; and
(b) to hear and determine any matter of a constitutional nature.
… (Sec. 151)
Jurisdiction and Access
- English(1) The Constitutional Court shall act on an initiative from not fewer than one-fifth of all Members of the National Assembly, the President, the Council of Ministers, the Supreme Court of Cassation, the Supreme Administrative Court or the Prosecutor General. A challenge to competence pursuant to para 1 item 3 of the preceding Article may further be filed by a municipal council.
(2) Should it find a discrepancy between law and the Constitution, the Supreme Court of Cassation or the Supreme Administrative Court shall suspend the proceedings on a case and shall refer the matter to the Constitutional Court.
(3) The Ombudsman may approach the Constitutional Court with a request for declaring as unconstitutional a law which infringes human rights and freedoms.
(4) The Supreme Judicial Council may approach the Constitutional Court with a petition to establish unconstitutionality of any law whereby any rights and freedoms of citizens are violated. (Art. 150) - Bulgarian(1) Конституционният съд действува по инициатива най-малко на една пета от народните представители, президента, Министерския съвет, Върховния касационен съд, Върховния административен съд и главния прокурор. Спорове за компетентност по т. 3 на ал. 1 от предходния член могат да се повдигат и от общинските съвети.
(2) Когато установят несъответствие между закона и Конституцията, Върховният касационен съд или Върховният административен съд спират производството по делото и внасят въпроса в Конституционния съд.
(3) Омбудсманът може да сезира Конституционния съд с искане за установяване на противоконституционност на закон, с който се нарушават права и свободи на гражданите.
(4) Висшият адвокатски съвет може да сезира Конституционния съд с искане за установяване на противоконституционност на закон, с който се нарушават права и свободи на гражданите. (Чл. 150)
Jurisdiction and Access
- EnglishAn appeal shall lie as of right to the Court of Appeal from any decision of the High Court which involves the interpretation of this Constitution, other than a decision of the High Court under section 69(1) of this Constitution:
Provided that no appeal shall lie from a determination of the High Court under this section dismissing an application on the ground that it is frivolous or vexatious. (Sec. 106)
Jurisdiction and Access
- EnglishThe Constitutional Court is the competent jurisdiction in constitutional, [and] electoral matters and in [matters] of the fundamental rights and freedoms. It judges the constitutionality of the laws, [and] of the ordinances as well as the conformity of the international treaties and agreements to the Constitution.
It guarantees the exercise of the fundamental rights of the human person and of the public freedoms.
It sees to the regularity of the national elections and of the referendums of which [dont] it proclaims the definitive results.
It is the regulatory organ of the functioning and of the activities of the legislative and executive Powers and of the other organs of the State. (Art. 93) - FrenchLa Cour constitutionnelle est la juridiction compétente en matière constitutionnelle, électorale et des droits et libertés fondamentaux. Elle juge de la constitutionnalité des lois, des ordonnances ainsi que de la conformité des traités et accords internationaux à la Constitution.
Elle garantit l'exercice des droits fondamentaux de la personne humaine et des libertés publiques.
Elle veille à la régularité des élections nationales et des référendums dont elle proclame les résultats définitifs.
Elle est l'organe régulateur du fonctionnement et des activités des pouvoirs législatif et exécutif et des autres organes de l'État. (Art. 93)
Jurisdiction and Access
- EnglishIf, during proceedings in progress before a court of law, it is claimed that a legislative provision infringes the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, the matter may be referred by the Conseil d’État or by the Cour de Cassation to the Constitutional Council which shall rule within a determined period.
… (1958 Constitution, Art. 61-1) - FrenchLorsque, à l'occasion d'une instance en cours devant une juridiction, il est soutenu qu'une disposition législative porte atteinte aux droits et libertés que la Constitution garantit, le Conseil constitutionnel peut être saisi de cette question sur renvoi du Conseil d'État ou de la Cour de cassation qui se prononce dans un délai déterminé.
… (Constitution 1958, Art. 61-1)
Jurisdiction and Access
- EnglishSubject to the provisions of section 37(7) of this Constitution, an appeal shall lie from decisions of the High Court to the Court of Appeal as of right in the following cases-
(a) final decisions in any civil or criminal proceedings on questions as to the interpretation of this Constitution;
(b) final decisions given in exercise of the jurisdiction conferred on the High Court by section 16 of this Constitution (which relates to the enforcement of the fundamental rights and freedoms). (Sec. 103)
Jurisdiction and Access
- English1. Court decisions shall be subject to appeal to the Constitutional Court whenever:
a) The courts refuse, on the grounds of unconstitutionality, to apply any rule or resolution of a content that is material and normative or specific and concrete;
b) They apply rules or resolutions of a content that is material and normative or specific and concrete, whose unconstitutionality has been challenged in the proceedings;
c) They apply rules or resolutions of a content that is material and normative or specific and concrete, which have previously been considered unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court itself.
2. Decisions shall also be subject to appeal to the Constitutional Court whenever:
a) They apply resolutions of a content that is material and normative or specific and concrete, which have previously been considered illegal by the Constitutional Court or whose illegality has been challenged in the proceedings.
b) They refuse to apply, on the grounds of illegality, the resolutions referred to in the preceding subparagraph. (Art. 281) - Portuguese1. Cabe recurso para o Tribunal Constitucional, das decisões dos Tribunais que:
a) Recusem, com fundamento em inconstitucionalidade, a aplicação de qualquer norma ou resolução de conteúdo material normativo ou individual e concreto;
b) Apliquem normas ou resoluções de conteúdo material normativo ou individual e concreto cuja inconstitucionalidade haja sido suscitada no processo;
c) Apliquem normas ou resoluções de conteúdo material normativo ou individual e concreto que tenham sido anteriormente julgadas inconstitucionais pelo próprio Tribunal Constitucional.
2. Cabe, ainda, recurso para o Tribunal Constitucional das decisões que:
a) Apliquem resoluções de conteúdo material normativo ou individual e concreto que tenham sido julgadas anteriormente ilegais pelo próprio Tribunal Constitucional ou cuja ilegalidade haja sido suscitada no processo;
b) Recusem aplicar, com fundamento em ilegalidade, as resoluções referidas na alínea anterior. (Art. 281)
Jurisdiction and Access
- English
A Head of an Institution or one-quarter of the members composing one of the Parliamentary Assemblies or the organs of the Decentralized Territorial Collectivities or the High Council for the Defense of Democracy and of the State of Law may refer to the Constitutional Court, for control of constitutionality, any text with legislative or regulatory value as well as all matters falling into its competence.
If, before a jurisdiction, a party raises an exception of unconstitutionality, that jurisdiction postpones its decision and refers the matter to the High Constitutional Court which decides within the time period of one month.
In the same way, if before a jurisdiction, a party maintains that a provision of a legislative or regulatory text infringes their fundamental rights recognized by the Constitution, that jurisdiction postpones its decision within the same conditions as in the previous paragraph.
… (Art. 118) - French
Un Chef d’Institution ou le quart des membres composant l’une des Assemblées parlementaires ou les organes des Collectivités Territoriales Décentralisées ou le Haut Conseil pour la Défense de la Démocratie et de l’Etat de droit peuvent déférer à la Cour Constitutionnelle, pour contrôle de constitutionnalité, tout texte à valeur législative ou réglementaire ainsi que toutes matières relevant de sa compétence.
Si devant une juridiction, une partie soulève une exception d’inconstitutionnalité, cette juridiction sursoit à statuer et saisit la Haute Cour Constitutionnelle qui statue dans le délai d’un mois.
De même, si devant juridiction, une partie soutient qu’une disposition de texte législatif ou réglementaire porte atteinte à ses droits fondamentaux reconnus par la Constitution, cette juridiction sursoit à statuer dans les mêmes conditions qu’à l’alinéa précédent.
... (Art. 118)