# Law No. 4222 of May 8, 1963

> Brazilian law

**Wikidata**: [Q105648465](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105648465)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-4222-of-may-8-1963

## Summary
Law No. 4222 of May 8, 1963 (Lei nº 4222, de 8 de maio de 1963) is a Brazilian federal statute promulgated by President João Goulart that addresses "Pensão Especial" (Special Pension). Published in Brasília and applying to all of Brazil, this formal written legal document creates law within the Brazilian legal system and is written in Brazilian Portuguese.

## Key Facts
- **Title:** Lei nº 4222, de 8 de maio de 1963
- **Alternative Names:** Lei nº 4222/1963
- **Type:** Statute (formal written document that creates law)
- **Publication Date:** May 8, 1963
- **Place of Publication:** Brasília, Brazil
- **Country:** Brazil
- **Approved By:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil
- **Promulgating Authority:** João Goulart (President at the time)
- **Promulgation Method:** Promulgation
- **Jurisdiction:** Applies to Brazil
- **Main Subject:** Pensão Especial (Special Pension) — identified as Q105766456
- **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese
- **Legal Citation:** Lei nº 4222/1963
- **LexML Brazil ID:** urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1963-05-08;4222
- **Official URL:** https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l4222.htm
- **WikiProject Membership:** On focus list of WikiProject Brazilian Laws

## FAQs
**What is Law No. 4222 of May 8, 1963?**
Law No. 4222 of May 8, 1963 is a Brazilian federal statute promulgated by President João Goulart. It is a formal written legal document published in Brasília that creates law within the Brazilian legal system.

**What subject does this law address?**
The law's main subject is "Pensão Especial" (Special Pension), identified in knowledge systems as Q105766456. This indicates the legislation deals with pension-related matters within Brazil's social framework.

**Who approved this law and when?**
The law was approved by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil, with João Goulart serving as the promulgating authority on May 8, 1963.

**Where can the full text of this law be found?**
The official text is available at https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l4222.htm through the Brazilian government's Planalto portal, and it is indexed in the LexML Brazil system with identifier urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1963-05-08;4222.

## Why It Matters
Law No. 4222 of May 8, 1963 matters as a component of Brazil's federal legal framework during a significant historical period. Promulgated in 1963 under President João Goulart, this statute represents part of the legislative output during a tumultuous era in Brazilian politics that preceded the military coup of 1964. As a statute, it serves as the formal manifestation of statutory law—a written document that creates legal norms and obligations within the Brazilian legal system.

The law's focus on "Pensão Especial" (Special Pension) indicates its role in Brazil's social welfare framework, potentially establishing or regulating special pension benefits for specific categories of citizens. This type of legislation forms part of the broader body of Brazilian statutory law governing social security and benefits, reflecting the government's approach to social protection during this period.

As an official legal document, this law is part of the public record and accessible to citizens and legal professionals. Its inclusion in systems like LexML Brazil and availability through official government portals demonstrates Brazil's commitment to maintaining transparent and accessible legal documentation.

## Notable For
- **Historical Context:** Promulgated during the presidency of João Goulart (1961-1964), a significant figure in Brazilian history whose government ended with the military coup of 1964
- **Legal Classification:** Classified as a statute—a formal written document that creates law and serves as the manifestation of statutory law
- **Subject Matter:** Focuses on "Pensão Especial" (Special Pension), indicating its role in Brazil's social security framework
- **Digital Accessibility:** Available through official Brazilian government portals and indexed in the LexML Brazil legal documentation system with unique identifier urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1963-05-08;4222
- **Linguistic Origin:** Written in Brazilian Portuguese, the official language of Brazil
- **Jurisdictional Scope:** Applies to the entire territory of Brazil as federal legislation
- **WikiProject Recognition:** Included in the focus list of WikiProject Brazilian Laws for systematic documentation

## Body

### Legal Classification and Nature
Law No. 4222 of May 8, 1963 is formally classified as a **statute**—a type of formal written document that creates law. Statutes function as the concrete manifestation of statutory law and contain legal norms as their constituent parts. This law exists as an instance of the broader legal concept of statutes, which encompass acts, executive orders, and by-laws.

As a statute, this law represents a subclass of "written work," "document," and "rule" within legal taxonomy. It was created through the legislative process and serves as an official record of legal rules enacted by the Brazilian government. Statutes are differentiated from general concepts of "legislation" or "legal act" in knowledge systems, representing the tangible document rather than the abstract concept.

### Publication and Promulgation Details
The law was published on **May 8, 1963**, in **Brasília**, the federal capital of Brazil. Brasília had been the capital since April 22, 1960, replacing Rio de Janeiro as the seat of federal government.

The promulgation was executed by the **Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil**, with **João Goulart** serving as the promulgating authority. Goulart was President of Brazil from September 8, 1961, until April 1, 1964, placing this law within his presidential term. The determination method for this law's enactment was **promulgation**, indicating the formal process by which the law was declared and put into effect by the executive authority.

### Subject Matter and Scope
The **main subject** of Law No. 4222/1963 is identified as "Pensão Especial" (Special Pension), assigned the identifier **Q105766456** in knowledge systems. This subject classification indicates that the legislation deals with special pension provisions within Brazil's legal and social framework.

The law **applies to the jurisdiction of Brazil**, meaning it has effect throughout the entire national territory. As federal legislation, it operates within the hierarchy of Brazilian law and applies to all citizens and entities subject to Brazilian federal authority.

### Language and Legal Citation
The law is written in **Brazilian Portuguese**, the official language of Brazil. Portuguese has been Brazil's official language since independence, and Brazilian Portuguese is spoken by over 200 million people.

The **legal citation** format is "Lei nº 4222/1963," which follows the standard Brazilian convention for referencing federal laws by number and year of enactment. The full title in Portuguese is "Lei nº 4222, de 8 de maio de 1963," which translates to "Law No. 4222 of May 8, 1963."

### Official Documentation Systems
Law No. 4222/1963 is indexed in Brazil's official legal documentation systems:

- **LexML Brazil ID:** The law carries the unique identifier `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1963-05-08;4222` in the LexML Brazil system, which provides standardized identification for Brazilian legal documents. LexML is Brazil's official system for identifying and locating legal documents.

- **Official URL:** The full text is available at `https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l4222.htm`, hosted by the Civil Cabinet of the Presidency of the Republic (CCivil) on the Planalto government portal. This portal serves as the official repository for Brazilian federal legislation.

### Historical and Political Context
This law was enacted during the presidency of **João Goulart**, who governed Brazil during a period of significant political tension and social change. Goulart's presidency (1961-1964) was marked by debates over land reform, nationalization of industries, and social welfare policies.

The year 1963 was particularly significant in Brazilian politics. Goulart had successfully campaigned for the restoration of presidential powers earlier that year—a plebiscite in January 1963 returned the country from a parliamentary to a presidential system. This law represents part of the legislative activity during this period of expanded presidential authority, before Goulart's government was overthrown in the military coup of March 1964.

### Integration with Knowledge Systems
Law No. 4222/1963 is included in **WikiProject Brazilian Laws**, indicating its recognition as a subject of interest for systematic documentation and knowledge organization related to Brazilian legislation. This inclusion places it within efforts to catalog and make accessible the body of Brazilian statutory law.

The law's **Wikidata description** is "Brazilian law," providing a concise characterization for knowledge base purposes. Its status as an instance of "statute" connects it to broader taxonomies of legal documents and concepts used in semantic web technologies and knowledge graphs.

### Accessibility and Public Domain Status
As a statute—an official legal document created by government authority—this law is part of the **public domain** in Brazil. This follows the general principle that official legal documents, including legislative enactments, are not subject to copyright restrictions. This ensures that citizens, legal professionals, researchers, and the general public have unrestricted access to the laws that govern them.

The availability of the law through official government portals and its indexing in systems like LexML Brazil supports this principle of public accessibility to legal information.

### Relationship to Broader Legal Framework
Law No. 4222/1963 exists within the context of Brazil's federal legal system. Brazil operates as a federal republic with a presidential system and representative democracy. The country's current constitution has been effective since October 5, 1988, establishing the current federal republic structure.

As federal legislation, this law operates within the hierarchy of Brazilian law:
- The Federal Constitution (supreme law)
- Federal laws (like Law No. 4222/1963)
- Supplementary laws
- Decrees and other regulations
- State and municipal laws (within their respective competencies)

The **National Congress of Brazil** (comprising the Federal Senate and Chamber of Deputies) serves as the legislative body for creating such federal laws. The **Supreme Federal Court (STF)** serves as the highest judicial authority for interpreting these laws.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1963-05-08;4222)
2. [Source](https://legislacao.presidencia.gov.br/atos?tipo=LEI&numero=4222&ano=1963&data=08/05/1963&ato=734gXTq50MVRVTeb0)