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205/94 AI generated

Portuguese Constitutional Court dismisses unconstitutionality claim due to supervening amnesty extinguishing the underlying offense.

Case Number 205/94
Court / Authority
Jurisdiction Portugal (PT)
Outcome Dismissed
Open official source Machine-readable Markdown (.md)

Legislator summary

AI generated

The Constitutional Court dismissed the unconstitutionality challenge against Article 11(2) of Decree-Law 17/91. The Ministry of Public Prosecution argued the law was invalid, but the Court noted the underlying traffic offense had been declared extinguished by supervening amnesty under Article 1(1)(dd) of Law 15/94. Consequently, the Court ruled the unconstitutionality question moot because the legal norm lost its practical effect.

Legislator headnote

AI generated

Article 1(1)(dd) of Law 15/94; Article 223 of the Constitution: When a norm is rendered ineffective by supervening amnesty, a challenge to its constitutionality is dismissed as the question becomes moot.

Keywords

AI generated
supervening amnesty unconstitutionality challenge mootness doctrine traffic contravention extinguishment of proceedings

Cited Legislation

AI generated
Article 1(1)(dd) of Law 15/94
Article 223 of the Constitution
Article 11(2) of Decree-Law 17/91
AI generated
TC_19950309
Constitutional appeal dismissed due to subsequent amnesty making the challenged criminal law provision irrelevant.
93/91
Portuguese Constitutional Court dismisses unconstitutionality claim due to subsequent amnestia law rendering the case moot.
38/86
Constitutional review dismissed due to prior judicial extinction of the criminal penalty making the review moot.
234/86
Constitutional court dismisses appeal as driving ban is nullified by statutory amnesty for traffic violations.
211/86
Portuguese Constitutional Court dismisses appeal as amnesty law renders the underlying road traffic penalty void and unenforceable.

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Full text

Acórdão 650/94

ACÓRDÃO Nº 650/94

Processo nº 205/94

2ª Secção

Relator: Cons. Guilherme da Fonseca

Acordam, em conferência, na 2ª Secção do

Tribunal Constitucional:

Nos presentes autos, vindos do Tribunal Judicial da comarca de Santo Tirso, em que figuram como recorrente o Ministério Público e como recorrido e arguido A., tendo em conta o despacho do Mmº Juiz daquele Tribunal, de 20 de Junho de 1994, que julgou amnistiada, ao abrigo do artigo 1º, alínea dd), da Lei nº 15/94, de 11 de Maio, a contravenção ao Código da Estrada imputada ao recorri­do, e declarou "extinto, por amnistia, o procedimento contra­vencional movido contra A.", decide-se julgar extinto o presente recurso de constitucionali­dade, tendo por objecto a questão de inconstitucionalidade ma­terial da norma do nº 2 do artigo 11º do Decreto-Lei nº 17/91, de 10 de Janeiro, por inutilidade superveniente.

Lisboa, 13 de Dezembro de 1994

Guilherme da Fonseca

Messias Bento

José de Sousa e Brito

Bravo Serra

Fernando Alves Correia

Luís Nunes de Almeida