Hearings of Supreme Federal Court nominees: an empirical analysis (2002-2011)

• Grant number: 12/12490-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2012
• End date: August 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Law - Public Law
• Principal Investigator: José Duarte Neto
• Grantee: Marina Ribeiro da Silva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais (FCHS). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Franca. Franca , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This research intends to analyze the subject of the hearings held by the Federal Senate between 2002 and 2011. The Brazilian Supreme Federal Court is composed by eleven Justices, chosen among native Brazilian citizens, who are more than thirty-five and less than sixty-five years old and have notable legal knowledge and soundness of character. Its bench of judges is appointed by the President of the Republic and then approved by the absolute majority of the Federal Senate. Our investigation will provide factual evidences about the general perception that these hearings, important elements of the system of checks and balances, adopted by the Brazilian State, are merely ratifying. In order to achieve such objective, we will adopt an analytical, empirical, descriptive method, which will have recourse to the minutes of Senate Citizenship, Constitution and Justice Committee ordinary meetings. Besides, we will examine the Senate Diaries and the others institutional publications of this Legislative House. The results will be disposed on synoptical tables, which will abridge the aspects extracted by the sources of research, enabling a logical visualization and providing qualitative information about the studied hearings. This way, we pretend to light up the positive data, which will allow us to apprehend the dynamics of the hearings, responsible for the arguing of the ones who will be Justices of the Supreme Federal Court.