by Eric Surber
Judicature International (2023) | An online-only publication
With a few limited exceptions, the Superior Electoral Court (Brazilian Portuguese: Tribunal Superior Eleitoral) is the highest court of appeal for cases involving elections in Brazil. Several Latin American nations — like El Salvador whose elections court also made news this month — have separate tribunals to decide elections and voting cases. The building pictured above was designed by famed Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer and inaugurated as the court’s headquarters in 2011. Visit the court’s website to learn more.
Brazil’s top electoral court ruled for a second time that former President Jair Bolsonaro cannot seek or hold public office for eight years after abusing his power last year. (Bloomberg News, 9/22/2023) Keep reading»
El Salvador’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal, or TSE, ruled that President Nayib Bukele can run in next year’s presidential election, despite a prohibition in the nation’s constitution against multiple presidential terms. (Associated Press, 11/3/2023) Keep reading»
Prime Minister Viktor Orban is championing a “sovereignty bill” that would criminalize foreign funding of election campaigns and establish a new Sovereignty Protection Office with broad investigative powers. EU nations have criticized the legislation’s vague and near-limitless powers as undermining the rule of law. (Barron’s, 11/27/2023) Keep reading»
Tens of thousands of protesters have marched through Madrid in opposition to a controversial Catalan amnesty law that enabled Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to form a government for a second term. (Al Jazeera, 11/18/2023) Keep reading»
The State Bar of Michigan issued an opinion stating that judges have an ethical obligation to understand advancing technology, including artificial intelligence. The Michigan bar is among the first in the United States to explicitly address AI. (Law360, 11/9/2023) Keep reading»
The U.S. Supreme Court adopted its first code of ethics, in the face of sustained criticism over undisclosed trips and gifts from wealthy benefactors to some justices, but the code lacks a means of enforcement. (Associated Press, 11/13/2023) Keep reading»
Venezuela’s Supreme Justice Tribunal suspended the results of an opposition presidential primary that took place in October, despite an earlier electoral deal between the government and the opposition that allows each side to choose its candidate. (Reuters, 10/30/2023) Keep reading»
The United Nations released a second Environmental Rule of Law (EROL) report in November, which tracks how 193 UN member nations are using law and rule-of-law principles to protect and sustain the environment. (United Nations, 11/22/2023) Keep reading»
