O poder judiciário ontem e hoje : a criação jurisdicional de normas gerais e abstratas pelo judiciário contemporâneo

Abstract

The current work aims to analyze the judicial function and civil procedure in two different stages: the formation of the 1973 Civil Procedure Code in its original structure and the period after the Federal Constitution. Therefore, firstly some of the institutes of civil procedure and main characteristics that influenced the practice of law during that period are analyzed, in an effort to demonstrate the structural influences over the judicial function exercised by the Judiciary. Secondly, the post- 1988 Federal Constitution period and its important consequences over the structure and functioning of civil courts are approached. Finally, this study examines the current characteristics of civil procedure and the judicial function, by looking into the institutes of binding precedents, general repercussion, repetitive appeals, the socalled objective processes and class actions. As a conclusion, it is possible to affirm that the Judiciary has to perform a new role: the creation of general and abstract rules. The prevalence of a collective perspective in dispute resolution demonstrates the overcoming of the idea that the main role of the Judiciary would solely be to apply general law to particular cases, which involved primarily individual interests