Fundação Getulio Vargas’ School of Public Policy and Government (FGV EPPG) held a seminar called “Judicial Decisions and Public Policies – A Watershed in the Evolution of Public Policies?” on October 23, in Brasilia. The speakers included Justice Gilmar Mendes of the Federal Supreme Court; the director general of the House of Representatives, Celso de Barros Correia Neto; and other leading specialists.

The seminar was kicked off by the dean of FGV EPPG, Professor Edson Kondo, who spoke about the growing influence of judicial decisions on the creation and implementation of Brazilian public policies, highlighting the leading role played by the judiciary in recent years.

Justice Gilmar Mendes then gave the opening lecture. He spent around 60 minutes talking about the changing interpretation of the Federal Constitution with regard to the action of the judiciary, in light of omissions by the other branches of government, in the implementation of public policies, especially in terms of injunctions. He offered some high-profile examples, such as the right of government employees to strike and the Federal Supreme Court’s recognition of same-sex marriage.

In the second part of the seminar, there was a panel discussion led by Professor Liziane Angelotti Meira (a professor and deputy coordinator of the Master’s in Public Policy and Government at FGV EPPG). The panel included professors Celso de Barros Correia Neto (director general of the House of Representatives and IDP professor), Hadassah Laís Santana (FGV EPPG professor), Leo Ferreira Leoncy (Federal District prosecutor), Fabrício Medeiros (IDP professor) and Marcos Aurélio Pereira Valadão (FGV EPPG professor).

The participants discussed academic and legal aspects of judicial action in the face of practical problems concerning the implementation of public policies, including financial and tax aspects, as well as fundamental rights and guarantees. In addition, special focus was placed on current and politically relevant issues, such as judicial measures to tackle fake news and the courts’ actions during the last presidential elections.

The seminar was very fruitful, given the memorable lecture given by Justice Gilmar Mendes and the importance of the topics discussed in the panels. The event allowed students, professors, professionals and other people interested in the subject to deepen their understanding of public policy-related litigation, as a watershed movement that has determined the fulfillment of numerous and important social demands and a way to deliver fundamental rights and guarantees for women, gay people, black people and other marginalized groups.