Between reform and attack: Court-curbing and delegitimizing pressures against Brazil’s Supreme Court

Fabiana Oliveira

doi:10.35295/osls.iisl.2524

Autores/as

Fabiana Oliveira Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), Department of Sociology https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2324-0106

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl.2524

Palabras clave:

Supremo Tribunal Federal de Brasil, contención judicial, reforma, ataques, juicio político

Resumen

Este artículo examina las iniciativas de contención judicial y las presiones deslegitimadoras dirigidas contra el Supremo Tribunal Federal de Brasil entre 2019 y 2022, un período de intensa polarización política y expansión del legalismo autocrático. Distingue las reformas y críticas compatibles con la rendición de cuentas democrática de los ataques orientados a debilitar la legitimidad del Tribunal y restringir su autoridad. A partir de una investigación documental, el estudio mapea y clasifica solicitudes de juicio político, propuestas de enmienda constitucional y textos periodísticos que contienen críticas o ataques contra el Tribunal. Los hallazgos muestran que, mientras algunas iniciativas permanecieron dentro de los límites del disenso institucional legítimo, otras operaron como instrumentos de presión institucional o deslegitimación simbólica, combinando ofensivas legislativas de baja viabilidad con ataques públicos de alta visibilidad. En este contexto, el Supremo Tribunal Federal de Brasil se convirtió en un blanco central de esfuerzos sostenidos de deslegitimación orientados a socavar tanto su legitimidad difusa como su legitimidad específica. El caso ilustra una paradoja más amplia de los tribunales bajo presión: la visibilidad puede fortalecer la autoridad judicial y, al mismo tiempo, aumentar su vulnerabilidad frente a ataques políticos y simbólicos.

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Biografía del autor/a

Fabiana Oliveira, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), Department of Sociology

Associate Professor.

Research Productivity Fellow of the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).

Citas

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