Law of South America
Encyclopedia
The law
of South America
is one of the most unified in the world. All countries can be said to follow civil law systems, although recent developments in the law of Brazil suggest a move towards the stare decisis
doctrine. Moreover, all countries have recently signed up to the Union of South American Nations agreement, which aims to establish a system of supra-national law along the lines of the European Union
.
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
is one of the most unified in the world. All countries can be said to follow civil law systems, although recent developments in the law of Brazil suggest a move towards the stare decisis
Stare decisis
Stare decisis is a legal principle by which judges are obliged to respect the precedents established by prior decisions...
doctrine. Moreover, all countries have recently signed up to the Union of South American Nations agreement, which aims to establish a system of supra-national law along the lines of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
Supranational agreements
- Andean Community
- MercosurMercosurMercosur or Mercosul is an economic and political agreement among Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Founded in 1991 by the Treaty of Asunción, which was later amended and updated by the 1994 Treaty of Ouro Preto. Its purpose is to promote free trade and the fluid movement of goods, people,...
- Union of South American Nations
Countries
- Law of ArgentinaLaw of ArgentinaThe Legal system of Argentina is a Civil law legal system. The two pillars of the Civil system are the Constitution of Argentina and the Civil Code of Argentina ....
- Law of Bolivia
- Law of Brazil
- Law of ChileLaw of ChileThe legal system of Chile belongs to the Continental Law tradition.The basis for its public law is the 1980 Constitution, reformed in 1989 and 2005. According to it Chile is a democratic republic. There is a clear separation of functions, between the President of the Republic, the Congress, the...
- Law of Colombia
- Law of Ecuador
- Law of Guyana
- Law of PanamaLaw of PanamaThe law of Panama is based on civil law with influences from Spanish legal tradition and Roman law. For the first several years of its existence, Panamian law depended on the legal code inherited from Colombia...
- Law of Paraguay
- Law of Peru
- Law of Suriname
- Law of Trinidad and Tobago
- Law of Uruguay
- Law of VenezuelaLaw of VenezuelaThe legal system of Venezuela belongs to the Continental Law tradition. Venezuela was the first country in the world to abolish the death penalty for all crimes, doing so in 1863.-Public law:...
Territories
- Law of Aruba
- Law of Falkland Islands
- Law of French Guiana
- Law of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
See also
- Legal systems of the worldLegal systems of the worldThe legal systems of the world today are generally based on one of three basic systems: civil law, common law, and religious law – or combinations of these...