Public hearings at the Brazilian Supreme Court : from strategic litigation to resolution.

Abstract

We intend to advance the research agenda on the judiciary by bringing research on conflict resolution in constitutional courts closer to that on the mobilization of laws by interest groups and social movements. The Public Hearings (PAs) held by the Supreme Court are analyzed as strategic arenas for processing contentious issues in which diverse actors have opportunities to contribute to legal practices. The central objective of the article is to identify the mechanisms of connection and transmission of deliberations present in the public hearings held by the Supreme Court (STF) in the period from 2007 to 2019. The research problem was formulated with the purpose of investigating and analyzing how civil society acts within the Supreme Court. Finally, this article’s main result confirms civil society organizations as the main connector of the APs held at the STF, as they represent about 40% of the organizations present, simultaneously, in more than two hearings.