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State of Exception

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Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy

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Introduction

The expression “state of exception” refers to the temporary suspension of the law or, more technically speaking, of the Constitution in its entirety or in important parts, such as the fundamental rights and guarantees (freedom of movement, freedom of speech, freedom of trade and commerce, property rights, suffrage, etc.). Usually, the state of exception is established when abnormal, serious, and unpredictable circumstances occur (natural disasters, civil wars, generalized terrorism, foreign invasions, etc.) and threaten the structure of the Rule of Law, demanding the concentration of power, typically (but not exclusively) by the Executive, with the purpose of returning the exceptional situation to normal. François Sainte-Bonnet proposes that the phenomenon might be defined by the three elements that constitute it (Sainte-Bonnet 2001: 27–28):

  1. (a)

    The infraction or derogation of law, since the state of exception only has meaning when related to a certain existing or future...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

    Andityas Soares de Moura Costa Matos

Authors
  1. Andityas Soares de Moura Costa Matos
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Correspondence to Andityas Soares de Moura Costa Matos .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for International and Comparative Law, University of Baltimore School of Law, Baltimore, USA

    Mortimer Sellers

  2. Department of Legal Theory, International and European Law, University of Salzburg, Austria, Salzburg, Austria

    Stephan Kirste

Section Editor information

  1. School of Law, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Marcelo Galuppo Ph.D

  2. Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Vitor Medrado

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de Moura Costa Matos, A.S. (2023). State of Exception. In: Sellers, M., Kirste, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6730-0_1140-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6730-0_1140-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-94-007-6730-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-6730-0

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