Iniciativa popular na concretização do direito fundamental à democracia

The Participatory Democracy is disseminated throughout the Principle of Popular Sovereignty. Since it spurs the participation of the people in the exercise of political power, it emerges as a conciliatory alternative to the Representative Regime - one of questionable legitimacy in account of the distortion it causes on the will of the public. It does so specially vis-à-vis the legislative, where the law is created. It s known that our Constitution (arts. 1º e 14, CF/88) provides for the means through which the members of the public may take part in the political process of the country, for it consecrates the plebiscite, the referendum and the popular initiative, all of them incipiently regulated by the Lei nº 9.709/98. It s our task, thus, to inquire, through deductive reasoning as well as the legal exegeses, the enforceability of the Popular Initiative as a means of popular emancipation, given that it enables the citizens to conscientiously participate in the public sphere. It has also an educational ethos which builds the capacity of individual to act, and, therefore, through thoughtful choices, enhance the legal system. Furthermore, the Lei da Ficha Limpa (LC nº 135/2010) surely represents a milestone in the Brazilian political history, since it accrued from a new way of social interaction allowed by the usage of communication technology on the pursuit of political morality. As a matter of fact, this bill is a clear example of how a legal act was legitimately proposed through Public Initiative. Hence, it s beneficial to actually make use of the Public Initiative, under the influence of the New Constitutional Hermeneutics, with a view to supporting social claims and promoting a dialogical relationship with the State in order to help it in the decisionmaking process. Thereat, we can achieve important civic spaces through which the fundamental right to democracy shall be materialized, tearing apart the old paradigms of inequality and, thus, promoting social justice

O licenciamento ambiental pelos municípios: uma análise sobre o federalismo cooperativo adotado pela Constituição Federal

In complex federal systems as that found in Brazil, which provides simultaneous attributions to of the Union, States and Cities in many aspects, the definition of performance limits of each of these entities, in procedural or material aspect, generates many (positive and/or negative) competence conflicts, bringing insecurity to general administered. Environmental licensing is one of the most important instruments of environmental management, seeking the realization of the fundamental right to an ecologically balanced and sustainable development. Despite its importance, the environmental licensing has not been more effective due the conflict related to the authority to regulate regardind environmental law. This essay will analyze the structure of competence distribution for conducting the environmental licensing processes, the conflict between laws, the performance of the municipal environmental agencies, the cooperation between the licensing agencies and the future about the additional regulatory law of article 23 of Federal Constitution

Democracia participativa e regulação econômica: uma questão de legitimidade

This work presents an analysis about the legitimation of independent regulatory commission`s rulemaking power by participation procedure. It is observed that political and administrative decentralization and fragmentation of State, with the purpose of approaching citizens and provide, more efficiently, the functions acquired by the passage of the Welfare State, leads to a deficit of legitimacy (democratic crisis), which is noticeable in the making of legal norms by directors of independent regulatory commission to regulate specific economic sector. However, we understand that this crisis stems from the observation of the contemporary world from dogmas and legal institutions of the eighteenth century, without their evolution and adaptation to the modern world. The legitimacy must be perceived as the justification of power, relation command /obedience, which, from the Modern State, has the democracy as standard. Therefore, just as the world has evolved and demanded political and administrative decentralization to accompany him, it is necessary to the development of the idea of representative democracy (formal legitimacy) to participatory democracy (legitimacy stuff). Legitimacy is not confused with the legality: as the legality is on observance to internal legal system, the "rules of play"; legitimacy, as inputs to be fed into this system, the selection of the different expectations in the environment. Nevertheless, the legitimacy will take place by legality, through introduction of rational and communicative procedures: procedures get fundamental importance because these will be the means to select the expectations to be introduced in the legal system in order to make decisions more fair, rational and qualified towards society. Thus, it is necessary to its opening to the environment for dialogue with the government. In this context, we try to make an analysis of constitutional norms based on systematic and teleological interpretation of these norms to build these arguments. According to the Constitution of 1988, participatory democracy is a result of the democratic principle (sole paragraph of art. 1 of the Constitution), and it is an expression of citizenship and political pluralism, both foundations of Republic (respectively Art. 1st, inc . V and II of the Constitution), as well as the national consciousness. From another point of view, that principle consists of an evolution in the management public affairs (principle of Republic). The right of interested participate in the rulemaking process derives both the principle of popular participation (part of the democratic principle) and the republican principle as the due process constitutional (art. 5, LIV and LV, CF/88) and the right to petition (Art . 5 °, inc. XXXIV, "a", CF/88), and it is the duty of the State not only be open to participation and encourage it. Ignoring stakeholder involvement in procedures and / or expressions compiled can be causes of invalidation of the rule of law produced by addiction of procedure, motive, motivation and/or because of the administrative act. Finally, we conclude that the involvement of stakeholders in the process of making rules within the independent regulatory commission is the legitimacy and the validity of rules; and that, despite of the expressions do not bind the decision making, they will enter the system as juridical fact, balancing the field of technical discretionary of agencies

Regime constitucional do direito privado das organizações religiosas

In Brazil, constitutional clauses regarding religious freedom have concrete applications in Private Law. Church-State Law, or "Ecclesiastical Law of the State," studies the legal principles which may be applicable to religious activity, exercised individually and collectively. The study of Church-State Law in Brazil lacks a thorough introduction to the constitutional and civil aspects of religious organizations: such an introduction is the main end of this work. Following a brief introduction, the main aspects of religious freedom and the principle of private autonomy as it concerns religious organizations are explained. A careful introductory analysis of Church-State Law in Brazil is thus developed: (1) the historical aspects, including a detailed account of the relations between Catholicism, the established religion up to 1889, and the government; (2) the current constitutional principles, as presented in the text of the federal Constitution of 1988, regarding the rights and claims of religious organizations; (3) how the same constitutional principles are to be used in the interpretation of Private Law (especially the Civil Code of 2002), fostering and preserving the uniqueness of religious organizations in the Brazilian legal system. A brief complementary chapter presents some aspects of the legal position of religious institutions in three other nations whose constitutional documents have influenced the current Brazilian federal Constitution (France, Spain, and the United States)

O sistema de certificação do etanol brasileiro sob a ótica do princípio constitucional do desenvolvimento sustentável

The gradual inclusion of biofuels is a necessary change that countries must include in their energy mixes. Energy sources still widely used in the world, such as oil and coal, are endowed with a high pollution load to the environment, bringing damages to the water, to the air and to humans as well. In addition, although there are conflicting studies, they are also identified as major causes of the greenhouse effect and the global warming phenomenon. They are, moreover, finite sources of energy, given that its reserves will surely run out. However, even if the introduction of biofuels, such as ethanol, in the energy mix is crucial for the survival of the present and future populations, this insertion cannot settle so disorderly and, thus, one must ensure the quality of these resources and promote transparency in international trade. In this manner, a certification process for ethanol is essential to attest that this biofuel meets the sustainable requirements defined for its production. Hence, this study sought to address the importance of the adoption of certification in the ethanol industry, according to the principle of sustainable development, by analyzing the evolution of its concept, its combination with the fundamental objectives sculptured in the Constitution of 1988, its regulation under Brazilian laws and the need for a balance between economic activities and the mentioned principle. The work also encompassed the criteria used to establish certification standards and their participating actors, combined with a study of ongoing initiatives. Finally, the consequences of the adoption of a certification process for ethanol in Brazil were presented, both in terms of sustainable development and in international trade

Desenvolvimento energético e energia eólica na ordem jurídica do Brasil: aspectos Institucionais e Socioambientais

A conformação do desenvolvimento propugnado pela Constituição Federal de 1988 como objetivo fundamental da república, certamente perpassa pela racionalização das questões energéticas e pela diversificação da matriz nacional enquanto estratégia de aprovisionamento. O desenvolvimento energético em toda a sua complexidade deve ser alicerçado não em uma relação de contraposição à sustentabilidade, mas cooperativismo normativo e de projetos sociais que objetivam a melhorias para a população nestes dois seguimentos. O advento das energias renováveis nesse contexto se consolida como uma alternativa viável, apesar do tratamento dado pela Lei Maior ao tema ter sido apenas com relação à geração em pequena escala. A interpretação sistemática dos postulados da ordem econômica e as exigências da sociedade estimulam o aproveitamento dos potenciais renováveis em escala comercial e regional, além do fortalecimento nos segmentos de autoprodução e produção independente. Dentre as energias tratadas como prioritárias neste contexto, a eólica revela-se como carecedora de aprofundamento das estruturas dogmáticas de sua positivação, que envolve um vasto manancial de regras pulverizadas na regulação econômica do setor elétrico e no controle ambiental. Esta textura submete os empreendimentos elioelétricos aos instrumentos da política nacional do meio ambiente e às determinações do poder concedente dos serviços de energia elétrica, responsável pela pormenorização da geração, transmissão, distribuição e comercialização de energia, independentemente da fonte primária utilizada no processo de transformação. Tratar destas questões com o compromisso na formulação de raciocínios críticos e propositivos, especialmente acerca de temas como a liberdade energética e controle de mercado, é imperioso para superar juridicamente as limitações presentes inclusive no discurso da delimitação de marcos normativos adequados. Havendo vantagens ambientais, tecnológicas e comerciais na exploração da energia cinética do vento como propulsora do desenvolvimento no modelo civilizatório estabelecido, cumpre também ao Estado dar a sua contribuição setorial na forma de incentivos, desburocratização e aprimoramento do modelo concorrencial. O estudo adota os métodos histórico-evolutivo, dialético e sistêmico de abordagem, encarando as hipóteses formuladas no aspecto das consequências multilaterais que as soluções encontradas apontam, exigindo que a estabilização de expectativas sociais por parte do ordenamento jurídico não ignorem o sentido material cognitivamente aberto do desenvolvimento. Hodiernamente, a perspectiva de desenvolvimento energético alia tendências econômicas e tecnológicas em favor das fontes alternativas mais eficientes, revelando a energia eólica como uma representante adequada em termos pragmáticos de normatização e preservação ambiental

Justiça restaurativa no sistema penal e processual penal como forma de concretização do estado democrático constitucional

Diante do atual modelo penal e processual penal não atender aos reclamos das partes interessadas, gerando um descrédito na Justiça de um modo geral, surge a Justiça Restaurativa como uma alternativa para solucionar tais problemas e como elemento de concretização do Estado Democrático Constitucional. A Constituição Federal de 1988 representa o símbolo maior do processo de democratização e de constitucionalização nacional. O Princípio da Dignidade da Pessoa contida no texto constitucional consiste num dos principais fundamentos da República Federativa do Brasil, funcionando como respaldo aos direitos e garantias fundamentais do cidadão, sobretudo na seara criminal. A partir do processo de constitucionalização nacional, ocorre uma releitura das legislações infra-constitucionais, que passam a ser interpretadas de acordo com o texto constitucional. Atualmente, a conjuntura jurídico-penal pátria está associada à ideia de garantismo, ligada ao conceito de Estado Democrático Constitucional. Apresenta-se a Justiça Restaurativa como um novo modelo de Justiça Penal, mais flexível e humanizado, visando além da aplicação da pena imposta pelo Estado, superar uma situação de conflito, na busca por resultados positivos no combate e redução da criminalidade, a satisfação da vítima e a mudança da cultura de violência, compatível com as diretrizes do Estado Democrático Constitucional. A partir da análise do direito internacional e de projetos e legislações nacionais envolvendo a Justiça Restaurativa, percebe-se a eficácia das medidas restaurativas na solução de conflitos dentro do Processo Penal, além da satisfação da vítima, do infrator e de familiares na participação dos encontros restaurativos, constituindo ferramenta de satisfação da dignidade humana, dentro de uma perspectiva humanista e garantista

A missão política do Supremo Tribunal Federal: análise de sua importância como corte constitucional para o controle do poder no Brasil

The following study proposes an analysis of the politic process which the brazilian constitutional justice faces, emphasizing the Supremo Tribunal Federal . For that purpose, we start by examining the intimate relationship between Politics and Law, in view of the most recent social systems theories, so that the political system is distinguished by the exclusiveness of using the physical force, intending to make coletive tying decisions, and the juridical system as a congruent generalization of the expectations towards the rules and principles, brought together under an interdependence by which both gather legitimacy and effectiveness. In this manner we can notice the political effects of the constitutional interpretation conducted by Judges as well as by other juridical professionals, because these ones decrease the overload of expectations which are pointed to the Judicature. Constitutional interpretation is democratized since the participative democracy arises and stablishes a permanent state of awareness around the exercise of power and favours the preservation of the pluralism (counter-majoritary principle) where we can find the origin of the democratic nature of constitutional courts, once, in most cases, their members are not elected by the people. After that, we analyse the historical posture of the Supremo Tribunal Federal as a constitutional court in Brazil, so we can realize the attempts to make it vulnerable to the appeals of governability and economical aims, agains which this court somehow has resisted, stressing its particularities. At the end, it s concluded that even the so-called acts of government, whose judiciary control is mostly repelled, are subjected to a constitutional analysis, last frontier to be explored by the Supremo Tribunal Federal in its role of exposing our republican Constitution