This book explores the theoretical foundations and practical implications of adopting a system of binding judicial precedents in civil law and mixed jurisdictions. Drawing from the author’s dual background in Latin American and European legal traditions, the book offers a groundbreaking framework for understanding precedents not merely as persuasive sources but as normative structures with formal binding authority.
Written by Hermes Zaneti Jr., a renowned scholar and public prosecutor, this work emerges from a comparative constitutionalist perspective and engages deeply with the theory of Luigi Ferrajoli. It argues that the rise of stare decisis in hybrid systems like Brazil reflects both historical contingencies and a normative evolution toward legal certainty, equality, and rational adjudication. The book introduces the notion of normative precedents and classifies their binding force in three degrees, proposing an operational methodology for judges and courts to apply precedents while respecting constitutional principles such as judicial independence and the separation of powers. This sixth, revised edition includes updated doctrinal discussions, detailed comparative analysis, and a critical reflection on the Brazilian Code of Civil Procedure (2015) and the constitutional role of the judiciary in rights protection. With its robust combination of legal theory, dogmatic analysis, and historical development, this book provides scholars, judges, and advanced students with a comprehensive model for integrating precedent into constitutional democracies without sacrificing fundamental guarantees.
Ideal for academics in comparative constitutional law, legal theory, and procedural law, The Binding Value of Precedents contributes to global debates on the normative role of precedent, judicial discretion, and the epistemology of legal interpretation in post-formalist legal systems.
