ABSTRACT
The rise of constitutional courts as central players in political debates have fostered a rich literature in comparative constitutional law. By comparing Brazilian and Mexican supreme courts, this paper argues that the political fragmentation in Brazil has had a major impact on the rising presence of its supreme court (STF) in political matters. Therefore, in order to assess the political situation of supreme courts, a crucial step is to focus on how sociopolitical compromises are reached.
KEYWORDS:
political fragmentation; separation of powers; constitutional courts; supreme courts