Ana De Barcellos
Adjunct Lecturer
About
Ana Paula de Barcellos is Professor at Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ) and an Adjunct Faculty member at Johns Hopkins University (SAIS). Her research focuses on constitutional law, democratic governance, judicial politics, and human rights, with particular emphasis on Latin America. She is interested in how legal systems, courts, civil society, and political institutions interact to shape public policy and governance, particularly in emerging Latin American democracies. Her work explores the role of judicial review, the intersection of law and democracy, and the impact of legal frameworks on social and economic rights, particularly in the areas of health, welfare, and inequality. Prior to her current positions, she served as Assistant and Associate Professor at UERJ, teaching courses on constitutional law, democracy, judicial politics, public policy, and human rights.
De Barcellos’ research has been published in leading academic journals and books on constitutional law, public policy, and human rights. Her expertise in public interest litigation and the legal dimensions of welfare policies has led to invitations to present her work at institutions such as Harvard Law School and the Brazilian Supreme Court. Her work seeks to understand the role of law and legal institutions in fostering or damaging human rights and democracy. She has also provided expert legal opinions in constitutional and human rights cases before the Brazilian Supreme Court and international courts.
A licensed attorney in Brazil and a Foreign Legal Consultant in New York and Massachusetts, she has significant experience in both academic and legal practice. Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she holds a Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) and Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), along with a Post-Doctoral Takemi Fellowship from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
De Barcellos’ research has been published in leading academic journals and books on constitutional law, public policy, and human rights. Her expertise in public interest litigation and the legal dimensions of welfare policies has led to invitations to present her work at institutions such as Harvard Law School and the Brazilian Supreme Court. Her work seeks to understand the role of law and legal institutions in fostering or damaging human rights and democracy. She has also provided expert legal opinions in constitutional and human rights cases before the Brazilian Supreme Court and international courts.
A licensed attorney in Brazil and a Foreign Legal Consultant in New York and Massachusetts, she has significant experience in both academic and legal practice. Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she holds a Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) and Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), along with a Post-Doctoral Takemi Fellowship from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
- Curso de Direito Constitucional [Constitutional Law], Editora Gen Forense, 6ª edição, 2024.
- “Constitutional Adjudication, Non-Legal Expertise, and Humility”, Revista Brasileira de Políticas Públicas 14.2 (2024), 419-238.
- “Discrimination and Law Beyond Punishment. Jury Discriminatory Acquittals. The Brazilian Supreme Court and ADPF 779 Decision”, Revista da AGU 4 (2023), 91-115.
- “Criminal Law, Disagreement, and the Institutional Design of Supreme Courts. A Tribute to Brazilian Justice Rosa Weber” In Ela pede vista. Estudos em homenagem à Ministra Rosa Weber, edited by Ana Bastos et al, 177-190, Londrina, Brazil: Editora Thoth, 2023.
- “Direito e Políticas Públicas: Informação, Metas e Monitoramento” [Law and Public Policies: Information, Goals, and Monitoring] In Direito e Política. Um Diálogo possível ?, edited by Eduarda Cunha and Matheus Casimiro, 205-220, Londrina, Brazil: Editora Thoth, 2023.
- “Devido Processo Legislativo, Avaliação de Custos e as Opções Hermenêuticas do STF” [Due Process of Lawmaking, Cost Assessment, and the Brazilian Supreme Court’s Hermeneutic Options], Revista Quaestio Iuris, v. 15 (2022), 1380-1404.
- “O STF e os Parâmetros para o Controle dos Atos do Poder Legislativo: Limitações do Argumento das Questões Interna Corporis” [The Brazilian Supreme Court’s Standards for controlling Congress Acts: Limitations of the Interna Corporis Argument], Revista de Investigações Constitucionais, v. 8 (2021), 435-456.
- Direitos fundamentais e direito à justificativa. Devido procedimento na elaboração normativa [Fundamental Rights and the Right to Justification. Due Process of Lawmaking], Editora Fórum, 3ª edição, 2020.
- Ana Paula de Barcellos, Patrícia Baptista e Jane Reis (Org.). Direito Público Contemporâneo. Monitoramento de políticas públicas em Direitos Fundamentais [Brazilian Public Law. Human Rights Monitoring and Welfare Policies], Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Lumen Juris, 552p, 2020.
- “Brazil and Its Many Realities: Courts and State-Centrism; Administrative Agencies and International Cooperation” In Debating Legal Pluralism and Constitutionalism - Global Studies in Comparative Law, edited by Guillaume Tusseau, 115-135, Switzerland: Springer Nature, 2020.
- “Constituição e Pluralismo Jurídico: a Posição Particular do Brasil no Contexto Latino-Americano” [Legal Pluralism and Constitution: Brazil’s position in the Latin American Context], Revista Brasileira de Políticas Públicas, v. 9 (2019), 169-181.
- “Access to Government Information under Brazilian Law No 12.527 of 18 de November de 2011” In The Right of Access to Public Information. An International Comparative Legal Survey, edited by Hermann-Josef Blanke and Ricardo Perlingeiro, 525-542, Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag, 2018.
- “Políticas Públicas e o Dever de Monitoramento: Levando os Direitos à Sério” [Public Policies and Monitoring: Taking Rights Seriously], Revista Brasileira de Políticas Públicas, v. 8 (2018), 251-165.
- “Direito à Saúde e Prioridades: Introdução a um debate inevitável (co-authors Fabio Souza et all)” [Priorities and the Right to Health: Introduction to an Inevitable Debate], Revista Direito GV, v. 13 (2017), 457-483.
- “Human Rights, Inequality and Public Interest Litigation: a Case Study on Sanitation from Brazil (co-authors Marcia Castro and Ricardo Moura)”, Panorama of Brazilian Law n. 5-6 (2016), 149-171.
- “Impeachment: Controle do Poder Político e Presidencialismo no Brasil (co-author Thiago Magalhães Pires)” [Impeachment: Political Power, Control, and Presidentialism in Brazil], Revista Quaestio Iuris, v. 9 (2016), 2545-2565.
- Princípios constitucionais no Estado Democrático de Direito. Um estudo de caso: reflexões sobre o direito do trabalho e o sistema constitucional [Principles of Labor Law and the Brazilian Constitutional System], Editora Createspace, 2014.
- “Sanitation Rights, Public Law Litigation and Inequality: A Case Study from Brazil”, Health and Human Rights, v. 16 (2014), 35-46.
- A eficácia jurídica dos princípios constitucionais. O princípio da dignidade da pessoa humana [Legal Consequences of Constitutional Principles: The Principle of Human Dignity], Editora Renovar, 3a Edição, 2011.
- “Urban Violence, Prison Conditions and Human Dignity”, Yale Law School – Sela papers, 2010.
- Ponderação, racionalidade e atividade jurisdictional [Balancing, Rationality, and Judicial Review], Editora Renovar, 2005.