Category Archives: Legal Issues in Latin America

A Final, Farcical Footnote to Impeachment in Brazil

Posted on September 3, 2016 by

As many already know, Brazil’s Senate formally removed president Dilma Rousseff from office this week, voting 61-20 in favor of removal (59 votes were needed). The process had been a farce since the moment Eduardo Cunha, leader of the PMDB … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Corruption, Impeachment, Latin American Politics

Thoughts on the Immediate Fallout of Dilma’s Removal

Posted on May 16, 2016 by

As many by now know, last week, Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff was temporarily removed from office to face trial and impeachment over allegations of corruption for budgetary maneuvers that her defenders argue were legal at the time. Of course, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Impeachment, Latin American Politics, Legal Issues in Latin America | 1 Comment

Dilma Removed from Office for (at least) 180 Days

Posted on May 12, 2016 by

As has become typical of Brazilian politics in the last 6 months, the last two days have proven eventful. On Tuesday, the interim president of the Chamber of Deputies, Waldir Maranhão, attempted to annul the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff, … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Coups in Latin America, Impeachment, Latin American Politics, Legal Issues in Latin America | 1 Comment

Thoughts on Brazil’s Impeachment Vote Yesterday

Posted on April 18, 2016 by

As mentioned last night, the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies (Brazil’s lower house in the bicameral Congress) voted to move forward with impeachment proceedings against Dilma Rousseff. The final tally was 367 in favor of impeachment and 137 against impeachment, with … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Corruption, Coups in Latin America, Impeachment, Latin American Politics, Legal Issues in Latin America | 5 Comments

Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies Votes to Impeach Dilma Rousseff

Posted on April 17, 2016 by

Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies (the lower house of Congress) has voted to impeach Dilma Rousseff. This was the first, and arguably most difficult, step in the process. That said, it’s not the final step in impeachment, though it may be the … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Impeachment

Defending Democracy in Brazil

Posted on March 31, 2016 by

As I’ve noted before, the Brazilian media has portrayed the anti-Dilma/anti-PT/pro-impeachment protests as a case of the Brazilian people taking to the streets, with the implication that “Brazil” (and thus, the citizens of the nation) and the current administration are … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Impeachment, Latin American Politics, Legal Issues in Latin America, Protests in Latin America, Social Movements | 2 Comments

On Brazil’s Political Crisis

Posted on March 20, 2016 by

It’s been some time since I last waded into the political unrest in Brazil, in part because, in the first few months of the year, other matters had gained increasing focus/importance in Brazil. Certainly, the Zika outbreak brought considerable attention … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Brazil's Military Dictatorship, Corruption, Governance in Latin America, Impeachment, Latin American Politics, Legal Issues in Latin America, Protests in Latin America | 1 Comment

Catching Up on Impeachment, Corruption, and Brazilian Politics

Posted on December 21, 2015 by

Across this past semester, I got away from blogging less by choice than by circumstance, due to the vagaries of course preps, writing, researching, etc. My timing was not good, as political life in Brazil got….interesting. Even while corruption scandals … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Corruption, Impeachment, Latin American Politics, Legal Issues in Latin America | 2 Comments

Anti-Impeachment Rallies in Brazil

Posted on August 23, 2015 by

In response to last Sunday’s protests demanding Dilma’s removal from office, tens of thousands of Brazilians gathered in state capitals throughout the country in support if not of the government, then of institutional and social democracy. Some marchers called for … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Democracy in the Americas, Impeachment, Latin American Politics, Protests in Latin America, Social Movements

On Brazil’s Lynching Problems

Posted on August 20, 2015 by

I wrote last month on the lynching of Cleidenilson Pereira da Silva, commenting that his was far from an isolated case. Vanessa Barbara has more: A few days after that attack, a man in metropolitan Belo Horizonte was dragged through … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Crime in Latin America, Impunity, Legal Issues in Latin America