Regional Federal Court

The Regional Federal Courts (in Portuguese, Tribunais Regionais Federais, commonly called TRFs) are the appellate courts of Brazil's federal court system. They respresent the second instance of the Brazilian Federal Justice system and are responsible not only for appeal processes against first instance decisions, but also for writs of security, Habeas corpus, and Habeas data against acts by federal judges, motions to set aside judgements, criminal revisions, and conflicts of jurisdiction.

The jurisdiction of the Federal Regional Courts are defined in Article 108 of the Brazilian Federal Constitution.

The Federal Regional Courts have a varied composition, with the number of judges defined by law, where one fifth are chosen by lawyers with 10 years experience or more, as well as by members of the Public Prosecutor’s Office with 10 years experience or more. The rest of the judges are appointed through the promotion of federal judges with over five years experience, by longest service time and by merit, alternately.

In each tribunal, there is an Internal Affairs of the Federal Justice office, responsible for corrections, inspections, and investigations at first instance. The internal affairs offices are also in charge of hiring processes, and instruction towards a uniformization of jurisdictional activity and forensic service. They are each run by a Regional Director, with a possible Vice-Director.

The Brazilian Federal Justice system is divided nationally into five geographically defined regions, each served by an appellate court:

The creation of four new courts were approved by Congress by Constitutional Amendment number 73/2013. However, the National Association of Federal Prosecutors proposed a direct action of inconstitutionality agaisnt the creation of new courts; The former president of the Supreme Federal Court, Minister Joaquim Barbosa, suspended the constitutional amendment until the fore-mentioned direct action is judged.

The new tribunals, whose installations have been suspended by the Supreme Federal Court, are planned as:

• TRF for the 6th Region – headquartered in Curitiba: would entail the jurisdictions of the following states: Santa Catarina and Paraná, currently linked to the TRF for the 4th Region, and Mato Grosso do Sul, previously linked to the TRF for the 3rd Region.

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