Interna Corporis Acta and the limits of legislative acts’s judicial review

Abstract

The presentpaperaimsdiscussthetheoryaccordingtowhichthelegislativebodiesactsruledbymanual procedures (interna corporis acta) maynotbeobjectof judicial reviewregarding its legality, butonly its constitutionality. The analyseisbuilt, initially, in the light oftheseparationofpowersprinciple, whichallowstheunderstandingthatinternalacts are notsubjectto a judicial reviewbasedon its legality, independentlyof its object. Then, it isdiscussedthemanual procedures naturefromthe perspective ofthelegislativedueprocessdefinedbybrazilianconstitution, intendingtoestabilishthenormativeasp ectandmandatory’scharacteroftheinternallegislativeacts. Next, thepossibilityof judicial reviewisdiscussedconcerningthelegalityoftheinterna corporis actabythejudiciarycourts, adoptingprimarilytheassumptionsof a proceduralistlegitimationtheoryofdemocracyandlaw, accordingtowhichthesucessofdeliberativepoliticsdependsontheinstitutionalizationofthecorresponding procedures and communication conditions. Finally, thearticleconcludesthat, consideringthelegislativeprocess as theinstitutionalizedmodernformthat garantes theconditionsoflegitimacyoflaw in thediscourseofjustification, actsbasedonmanual procedures are subjecttoa judicial reviewconcerning its legality. Theinterna corporis actaconceptonlyappliestotheargumentssubmittedbyparticipantsthroughoutthelegislativeprocess.