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TC_19961158 AI generated

Portuguese Constitutional Court dismisses public prosecution challenge to administrative law articles as constitutional.

Case Number TC_19961158
Court / Authority
Jurisdiction Portugal (PT)
Outcome Dismissed
Open official source Machine-readable Markdown (.md)

Legislator summary

AI generated

The Portuguese Constitutional Court rejected a constitutional challenge filed by the Public Prosecution Service against specific articles of the Administrative Procedure Law. The court concluded that the challenged norms did not violate the Constitution and therefore upheld their validity. Consequently, the initial ruling declaring them unconstitutional was revoked.

Legislator headnote

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Art. 280(1)(a) Const.; Art. 70(1)(a) L.T.C.: The Constitutional Court may declare norms constitutional if they do not infringe fundamental rights or constitutional principles, thereby upholding their legal validity.

Keywords

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constitutional challenge administrative procedure law public prosecution service norms validity constitutional review Portuguese Constitution legal validity

Cited Legislation

AI generated
Art. 280(1)(a) of the Constitution
Art. 70(1)(a) of the Constitutional Court Law
Art. 78-A of the Constitutional Court Law
Art. 78(1) of the Constitutional Court Law

Cited Case Law

AI generated
Acórdão n.º 778/96
AI generated
474/96
Portuguese Constitutional Court declares specific articles of a Decree-Law constitutional in a mandatory public prosecution review.
494/94
Portuguese Constitutional Court declares Article 18(3)(d) of Law 7/92 constitutional and grants relief to the Public Prosecutor.
434/94
Portuguese Constitutional Court declares Article 18(3)(d) of Law 7/92 constitutional and grants relief to the Public Prosecutor.
1192/2021
Portuguese Constitutional Court dismisses appeal for failing to previously raise constitutional challenge to civil code interpretation.
842/25
Portuguese Constitutional Court declares Law 45/2024 unconstitutional for violating the principle of protection of legitimate expectations. The court found the retroactive restriction on pension registration rights to be arbitrary and in violation of the constitutional principle of the rule of law. The court upheld the lower court's decision to apply the norm's unconstitutionality, thereby allowing the plaintiff's claim for reinstatement in the general pension fund. The court ruled that the legislative act infringed upon the principle of legitimate expectations by unilaterally and unjustifiably abrogating rights already legally established for public employees who had ceased their employment after January 1, 2006, and subsequently re-established it before October 27, 2024. This decision reinforces the established jurisprudence that such retroactive restrictions on rights constitute an arbitrary lesion to legal and legitimate rights, prohibited by the constitutional principle of the rule of law. The court explicitly stated that the normative program under review is tainted with material unconstitutionality, necessitating the denial of the public prosecution's appeal. The court concluded that the legislative act violated the principle of legitimate expectations by unilaterally and unjustifiably abrogating rights already legally established for public employees who had ceased their employment after January 1, 2006, and subsequently re-established it before October 27, 2024. This decision reinforces the established jurisprudence that such retroactive restrictions on rights constitute an arbitrary lesion to legal and legitimate rights, prohibited by the constitutional principle of the rule of law. The court explicitly stated that the normative program under review is tainted with material unconstitutionality, necessitating the denial of the public prosecution's appeal.

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Full text

Acórdão 1158/96

ACÓRDÃO Nº 1158/96

Proc. nº 706/96

1ª Secção

Rel.: Consª Maria Fernanda Palma

Acordam na 1ª Secção do Tribunal Constitucional:

No presente recurso de constitucionalidade, interposto pelo Ministério Público, ao abrigo dos artigos 280º, nº 1, alínea a), da Constituição e 70º, nº 1, alínea a), da Lei do Tribunal Constitucional, para apreciação da conformidade à Constituição das normas contidas no artigo 55º, nºs 3 e 2, do Decreto-Lei nº 214/88, de 17 de Junho, nas redacções dadas pelos Decretos-Leis nºs 312/93, de 15 de Setembro e 206/91, de 7 de Junho, respectivamente, pelas razões constantes da exposição da Relatora de fls. 70, e tendo presente a resposta do recorrente de fls. 72, decide-se conceder provimento ao recurso, não se considerando inconstitucionais as normas questionadas, e revogando-se, em consequência, o despacho recorrido.

Lisboa, 19 de Novembro de 1996

Maria Fernanda Palma

Vítor Nunes de Almeida

Alberto Tavares da Costa

Armindo Ribeiro Mendes

Antero Alves Monteiro Diniz

José Manuel Cardoso da Costa

Proc. nº 706/96

1ª Secção

Rel.: Consª Maria Fernanda Palma

Exposição prévia ao abrigo do disposto no

artigo 78º-A da Lei do Tribunal Constitucional

No presente recurso de fiscalização concreta da constitucionalidade, interposto pelo Ministério Público da decisão de fls. 161 do juiz do Tribunal Judicial da Comarca de Gondomar, ao abrigo do disposto nos artigos 280º, nº 1, alínea a), da Constituição e 70º, nº 1, alínea a), da Lei do Tribunal Constitucional, pelas razões constantes do Acórdão deste Tribunal nº 778/96 (D.R., II Série, de 17 de Agosto de 1996), conclui-se que se deverá decidir no sentido de julgar não inconstitucionais as normas contidas nos nºs 2 e 3 do artigo 55º do Decreto-Lei nº 214/88, de 17 de Junho, nas redacções dadas pelos Decretos-Leis nºs 206/91, de 7 de Junho e 312/93, de 15 de Setembro, respectivamente.

Ouça-se cada uma das partes por cinco dias, nos termos do disposto no artigo 78º, nº 1, da Lei do Tribunal Constitucional.