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The geographies of justice in Portugal: redefining the judiciary's territories

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 December 2019

Patrícia Branco Open the ORCID record for Patrícia Branco [Opens in a new window]
Patrícia Branco*
Affiliation:
Centro de Estudos Sociais/CES, Colégio de S. Jerónimo, Portugal
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: patriciab@ces.uc.pt
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Abstract

In this paper, I examine the current geographical location of Portuguese courts and the effects this territorial redefinition has had on the relationships between the justice system and the territories/populations in a context in which external and internal political factors, rather than a mere need to improve the justice system, have played a major role. Such an analysis entails three key elements: the geographic impacts on access to justice, in view of the emblematic presence of the state in the territories, both contrasted with the conflict between specialisation and the proximity of jurisdiction.

Keywords

judicial mapreformsaccess to justicepolitical motivationsPortugal
Type
Article
Information
International Journal of Law in Context , Volume 15 , Issue 4 , December 2019 , pp. 442 - 460
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019

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