Social participation in the Brazilian Supreme Court: rethinking the role of public hearings

Abstract Public hearings in the Brazilian Supreme Court (STF) is announced as a mechanism that produces information in the judicial review process, that democratizes the court and legitimizes its decisions. Nevertheless, empirical observation and analyses of official documents of the Court reveals a mismatch between practice and discourse around them. This article questions that main narrative and proposes an alternative view of public hearings as a lobby tool.