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A Tragédia Do Judiciário, Ivo T. Gico Jr.

Ivo Teixeira Gico Jr.

This paper shows how legal uncertainty caused by the lack of case law uniformity (legal capital) can explain the court congestion problem in Brazil. The analysis indicates that judges do not have enough incentives and mechanisms to invest in legal capital and to unify legal rules. The resulting legal uncertainty, combined with constitutionally granted free access to public adjudicatory services, generate incentives for the overexploitation of courts, hence, the endemic problem of court congestion, the Tragedy of Judiciary. Court congestion attracts litigation to stall legal obligations while excluding legitimate claims, a tragic adverse selection problem.