# Law No. 3248 of August 20, 1957

> Brazilian law

**Wikidata**: [Q105649141](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105649141)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-3248-of-august-20-1957

## Summary
Law No. 3248 of August 20, 1957 is a Brazilian statute promulgated by President Juscelino Kubitschek that authorized a special budgetary adjustment (Crédito Especial) for the Regional Labor Courts (Tribunais Regionais do Trabalho) and the broader judiciary system. This formal written document represents a federal law enacted in Rio de Janeiro during Brazil's post-war development period under its presidential republic system.

## Key Facts
- **Official Title:** Lei nº 3248, de 20 de agosto de 1957
- **Legal Citation:** Lei nº 3248/1957
- **Date of Promulgation:** August 20, 1957
- **Promulgating Authority:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil
- **President at Time of Enactment:** Juscelino Kubitschek (served 1956-1961)
- **Place of Publication:** Rio de Janeiro (then the capital of Brazil until 1960)
- **Jurisdiction:** Applies to the entire Federative Republic of Brazil
- **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese
- **Legal Classification:** Instance of a statute (formal written document that creates law)
- **Primary Subject Matter:** Special budgetary adjustment (Crédito Especial) for Regional Labor Courts
- **Secondary Subjects:** Regional Labor Courts (Tribunal Regional Do Trabalho - TRT) and the judiciary (Judiciário)
- **LexML Brazil Identifier:** urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1957-08-20;3248
- **Official URL:** Available at https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3248.htm
- **Wikidata Description:** Brazilian law
- **Wikimedia Project Inclusion:** Part of WikiProject Brazilian Laws focus list

## FAQs
**What is Law No. 3248 of August 20, 1957?**
Law No. 3248 is a federal statute enacted on August 20, 1957, that authorized a special credit allocation for Brazil's Regional Labor Courts and judiciary operations. It represents a formal budgetary adjustment mechanism within Brazil's legal framework.

**Who signed this law into effect and where?**
President Juscelino Kubitschek promulgated the law in Rio de Janeiro on August 20, 1957, through the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil, which was the seat of government at that time.

**What institutions does this law specifically address?**
The legislation explicitly targets the Regional Labor Courts (Tribunais Regionais do Trabalho) and the broader judiciary system (Judiciário), providing them with special budgetary credits.

**How can legal researchers access the original text?**
The complete text is publicly available through the official Brazilian government portal at https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3248.htm and is indexed in the LexML system with the identifier urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1957-08-20;3248.

**What type of legal instrument is this within Brazilian law?**
This is a federal statute (lei), which is a formal written document that creates law and serves as a manifestation of statutory law, distinct from executive orders or by-laws in Brazil's legal taxonomy.

**Why does this law have a LexML identifier?**
The LexML (Legislação XML) identifier system provides a unique, persistent URN for Brazilian legislation, enabling precise citation and machine-readable access to legal texts across digital platforms.

## Why It Matters
Law No. 3248 of 1957 matters because it exemplifies the statutory mechanism through which Brazil's federal government directly funds its specialized judicial infrastructure during a pivotal developmental era. Enacted during Juscelino Kubitschek's presidency—a period marked by rapid industrialization and the construction of Brasília—this law ensured the operational continuity of Regional Labor Courts, which adjudicate Brazil's complex labor relations. As a statute, it demonstrates the concrete manifestation of statutory law, providing the definitive written record of budgetary authority that courts, administrators, and citizens could reference. Its inclusion in WikiProject Brazilian Laws highlights its role in the systematic documentation of Brazil's legislative history. The law's public domain status and availability through the Planalto portal exemplify Brazil's commitment to open government principles, ensuring that budgetary allocations affecting the judiciary remain transparent and accessible. Furthermore, its promulgation in Rio de Janeiro captures a historical moment before the capital's 1960 transfer to Brasília, preserving the legal geography of Brazil's mid-20th century governance.

## Notable For
- **Specific Judicial Funding:** Explicitly allocates special credit (Crédito Especial) to Regional Labor Courts rather than general judicial budgets
- **Kubitschek Era Legislation:** Enacted during the presidency of Juscelino Kubitschek, architect of "50 Years in 5" development plan and Brasília construction
- **Pre-Capital Transfer:** Published in Rio de Janeiro, which served as capital until April 1960, marking it as a product of Brazil's pre-Brasília administrative era
- **LexML Documentation:** Carries a standardized LexML URN identifier (urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1957-08-20;3248) for permanent digital retrieval
- **WikiProject Recognition:** Included in WikiProject Brazilian Laws, indicating its significance for systematic legal documentation on Wikimedia platforms
- **Multi-Subject Coverage:** Addresses three distinct but related domains—budgetary adjustments, labor court administration, and judiciary operations—in a single statute
- **Public Domain Accessibility:** Available through the official Planalto government portal as part of Brazil's public domain legal corpus
- **Precise Temporal Marker:** The August 20, 1957 date places it within a specific legislative session of Brazil's National Congress during the Second Republic period

## Body

### Legal Identity and Classification
Law No. 3248 of August 20, 1957 is formally classified as a statute within Brazilian federal law. As an instance of the "statute" class, it functions as a formal written document that creates law and serves as a manifestation of statutory law. The law's Wikidata entry describes it as a "Brazilian law," aligning with its classification as a subclass of written work, document, and rule. Its legal citation format—Lei nº 3248/1957—follows Brazilian conventions for referencing legislative acts by number and year. The statute is composed of legal norms and was created through the legislative process, preceded by draft laws and caused by the act of legislation promulgated by the executive branch.

### Promulgation and Publication Details
The statute was officially promulgated on August 20, 1957, by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil under President Juscelino Kubitschek. The promulgation determination method is explicitly recorded as "promulgation" with President Kubitschek identified as the signing authority. Publication occurred in Rio de Janeiro, which served as Brazil's capital city from the colonial period until April 22, 1960, when the capital transferred to Brasília. The law was enacted in Brazilian Portuguese, the official language of Brazil as established in its federal republic framework. The publication date and place are documented through multiple reference sources, including the official presidential legislation portal and the LexML system.

### Subject Matter and Scope
The statute's primary subject is a special budgetary adjustment designated as "Crédito Especial" (Special Credit). This financial mechanism targeted the Regional Labor Courts (Tribunais Regionais do Trabalho), which are specialized judicial bodies within Brazil's judiciary system. The law also addresses the broader judiciary (Judiciário), indicating its scope extends beyond the labor courts to encompass judicial administration generally. As a federal law, it applies to the entire jurisdiction of Brazil, a country that spans 8,515,767 km² and operates under a presidential representative democracy system. The law's focus on labor court funding reflects Brazil's institutional structure, where Regional Labor Courts handle specialized labor and employment disputes across the nation's 26 states and Federal District.

### Accessibility and Documentation
The complete text of Law No. 3248 is publicly accessible through the official Brazilian government portal at https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l3248.htm. This availability aligns with the public domain status of statutes in many jurisdictions, including the United States and France, based on the principle that official legal documents should not be subject to copyright restrictions. The law is indexed in Brazil's LexML (Legislação XML) system with the persistent identifier urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1957-08-20;3248. This identifier system enables precise machine-readable citation and retrieval. The statute is also documented in Wikidata with a description as "Brazilian law" and is included in the WikiProject Brazilian Laws, a Wikimedia initiative focused on systematically cataloging Brazilian legislation. The legal citation format Lei nº 3248/1957 provides a standardized reference for academic, judicial, and administrative use.

### Historical and Political Context
The law was enacted during Juscelino Kubitschek's presidency (1956-1961), a transformative period in Brazilian history characterized by accelerated industrialization, infrastructure development, and the construction of the new capital city, Brasília. Kubitschek's administration pursued an ambitious "50 Years in 5" development plan that expanded government institutions and required corresponding budgetary mechanisms. The enactment date of August 20, 1957, places the law within the legislative calendar of Brazil's National Congress, which operates as a bicameral legislature consisting of the Federal Senate and Chamber of Deputies. The law predates Brazil's 1988 Constitution, operating under the legal framework of the Second Republic period. Its promulgation in Rio de Janeiro captures the administrative geography of Brazil before the 1960 capital transfer, making it a historical artifact of the city's role as the seat of federal government.

### Legal Framework Integration
As a federal statute, Law No. 3248 integrates into Brazil's hierarchical legal system, where federal laws apply uniformly across all states and municipalities. The law addresses the Regional Labor Courts, which are specialized federal courts established to handle labor disputes and enforce labor legislation. By providing special credit to these courts, the statute facilitated the judiciary's capacity to process cases during a period of rapid economic expansion and industrial relations complexity. The law's connection to the broader judiciary (Judiciário) indicates its relevance to the entire court system, including the Supreme Federal Court (STF) as the highest judicial authority. The statute exemplifies the legislative process where draft laws are transformed into binding legal instruments through presidential promulgation, resulting in statutory law that governs public administration and judicial operations. Its existence as a documented statute ensures that budgetary allocations for judicial functions are transparent, traceable, and subject to legal review.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1957-08-20;3248)
2. [Source](https://legislacao.presidencia.gov.br/atos?tipo=LEI&numero=3248&ano=1957&data=20/08/1957&ato=a8eEzZE9UMNRVT63b)