# Law No. 6440 of September 1, 1977

> Brazilian law

**Wikidata**: [Q105659746](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105659746)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-6440-of-september-1-1977

## Summary
Law No. 6440 of September 1, 1977, is a Brazilian federal statute that grants a special pension to Dulce Evers de Abreu, the widow of Manoel Dias de Abreu. Approved by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil under President Ernesto Geisel, this legal text serves as a formal written document enacting a specific legislative benefit. It applies to the jurisdiction of Brazil and was published in the capital city of Brasília.

## Key Facts
- **Official Title:** Lei nº 6440, de 1 de setembro de 1977
- **Legal Citation:** Lei nº 6440/1977
- **Date of Publication:** September 1, 1977
- **Place of Publication:** Brasília, Brazil
- **Instance Of:** Statute (a formal written document that creates law)
- **Jurisdiction:** Brazil (Federative Republic of Brazil)
- **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese
- **Main Subjects:** Pensão Especial (Special Pension), Concessão (Granting)
- **Beneficiary:** Dulce Evers de Abreu (widow of Manoel Dias de Abreu)
- **Approving Authority:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil
- **President at Time of Enactment:** Ernesto Geisel
- **Determination Method:** Promulgation
- **Legal Digest:** CONCEDE PENSÃO ESPECIAL A DULCE EVERS DE ABREU, VIUVA DE MANOEL DIAS DE ABREU.
- **Lexml Brazil ID:** urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1977-09-01;6440
- **Official URL:** https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1970-1979/l6440.htm
- **WikiProject:** WikiProject Brazilian Laws
- **Copyright Status:** As a statute, it is generally in the public domain in jurisdictions like the United States (edict of government doctrine) and France.

## FAQs

**What specific benefit does Law No. 6440/1977 provide?**
The law grants a special pension (*Pensão Especial*) specifically to Dulce Evers de Abreu, identified as the widow of Manoel Dias de Abreu. The legal digest explicitly states the purpose of the law is this concession ("CONCEDE PENSÃO ESPECIAL...").

**Who authorized and promulgated this law?**
The statute was approved by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil. It was enacted during the administration of President Ernesto Geisel, with the determination method recorded as promulgation on September 1, 1977.

**Where was this law published and what is its legal jurisdiction?**
Law No. 6440 was published in Brasília, the capital of Brazil. It applies to the jurisdiction of Brazil, which is a federal republic and the largest country in South America.

**Is this law considered a statute?**
Yes, Law No. 6440 is classified as an instance of a statute. A statute is defined as a formal written document that creates law, serving as the manifestation of statutory law and encompassing acts passed by a legislature.

**Is the text of Law No. 6440 copyrighted?**
As an official legal document (a statute), the text is generally in the public domain. In the United States, the "edict of government doctrine" establishes that such legislative enactments are not copyrightable; similar public domain status applies in France.

## Why It Matters
Law No. 6440 matters as a tangible example of the Brazilian state's use of legislative authority to provide specific social security benefits to individuals. It serves as the formal, written mechanism through which the government acknowledges a claim to financial support by a private citizen, acting as the definitive legal evidence of that right. As a statute, it represents the foundational method by which legal rules are documented and enforceable in Brazil, ensuring that mandates are accessible to the public. Its status as a public domain document reinforces the principle of open government, allowing citizens unrestricted access to the laws that govern them. Furthermore, the law is part of the historical legislative record of the Ernesto Geisel presidency, contributing to the comprehensive body of Brazilian federal laws indexed in systems like LexML.

## Notable For
- **Specific Legislative Act:** It is a targeted statute granting a pension to a named individual, Dulce Evers de Abreu, rather than a general regulatory law.
- **Geisel Era Legislation:** It was enacted during the presidency of Ernesto Geisel, a significant period in Brazilian military dictatorship history (1964–1985).
- **Standard Legal Classification:** It is classified as a "statute," a core legal concept recognized globally and equivalent to `https://schema.org/Legislation` in structured data.
- **Digital Preservation:** The law is assigned a persistent Lexml identifier (`urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1977-09-01;6440`), ensuring its accessibility and linkage within Brazil's legal information network.
- **WikiProject Coverage:** It is tracked as part of "WikiProject Brazilian Laws," indicating its recognition within collaborative open-knowledge initiatives.

## Body

### Legal Classification and Nature
Law No. 6440/1977 is classified as a **statute**, which serves as a formal written document creating law. As an instance of this class, the law functions as a concrete manifestation of statutory law, distinct from abstract legal theories. Statutes are taxonomically defined as subclasses of "written work," "document," and "rule," and are composed of "legal norms." In the context of global knowledge organization, this law falls under the equivalent class of `https://schema.org/Legislation`. 

Regarding its copyright status, the text of Law No. 6440 follows the general principle for statutes. In jurisdictions such as the United States, it is considered public domain under the "edict of government doctrine," which posits that official legislative enactments are not copyrightable to ensure public access. Similarly, France holds such documents in the public domain. This classification ensures that the legal text is freely accessible to the Brazilian public and international observers.

### Legislative Content and Purpose
The primary content of Law No. 6440 is the concession of a special pension. The **main subject** of the text is identified as "Pensão Especial" (Special Pension) and "Concessão" (Granting). The **law digest** explicitly summarizes the document's intent: "CONCEDE PENSÃO ESPECIAL A DULCE EVERS DE ABREU, VIUVA DE MANOEL DIAS DE ABREU." This indicates that the legislation was crafted to address a specific case of social security or financial support for the widow of Manoel Dias de Abreu. The law is written in **Brazilian Portuguese**, the official language of Brazil.

### Approval, Enactment, and Jurisdiction
The law was **approved by** the **Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil**. The specific executive authority involved was President **Ernesto Geisel**, who served as the head of state during the enactment. The **determination method** for the law's creation is listed as "promulgation." 

The statute was enacted on **September 1, 1977**, and its **place of publication** is recorded as **Brasília**, the federal capital of Brazil since 1960. The law applies to the **jurisdiction of Brazil**, the largest country in South America and a federal presidential republic. Brazil, the country of origin, has a complex legal history having declared independence in 1822 and currently operating under the Constitution of 1988. However, Law No. 6440 was enacted prior to the current constitution, during the period of military rule.

### Identification and Availability
To ensure proper indexing and retrieval, Law No. 6440 has been assigned several technical identifiers. Its **Lexml Brazil ID** is `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1977-09-01;6440`. It is also cataloged under the **WikiProject Brazilian Laws**, linking it to broader efforts to document Brazilian legislation. 

The **work is available** at the official URL: `https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1970-1979/l6440.htm`. This places the text within the official digital archives of the Brazilian government (Planalto), ensuring its preservation and public availability. The **legal citation** for the document is "Lei nº 6440/1977," providing a standardized reference for legal professionals and researchers.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1977-09-01;6440)
2. [Source](https://legislacao.presidencia.gov.br/atos?tipo=LEI&numero=6440&ano=1977&data=01/09/1977&ato=ce9IzZE9UNnRVT56d)
3. LexML Brasil