Abstract

SERRASQUEIRO, Mafalda. Legality and Interpretation: Control by the Constitutional Court of norms laid down by the judge in matters subject to the principle of legality. e-Pública [online]. 2015, vol.2, n.2, pp.227-250. ISSN 2183-184X.

In light of the ongoing debate in Portuguese Constitutional case law regarding the possibility of judicial review by the Constitutional Court of legal norms created by the interpreter when faced with a strict obligation of adherence to the principle of legality, in particular in the fields of criminal and tax law, this paper analyses the different scholarly and jurisprudential approaches to the topic and attempts to offer useful criteria to allow for a conceptual distinction between interpretative procedures and judicial decision making. Furthermore, the paper looks into the possibility of the unconstitutionality of the legal rules that govern interpretation themselves, when interpreted in a manner that allows for a violation of the constitutional principle of legality.

Keywords : Concept of legal norm; Normative interpretation; Constitutional Justice; Principle of legality; Concrete review of constitutionality.

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