The Ministry of Justice () is the Portuguese government ministry responsible for the administration of the judiciary system. It is headed by the Minister of Justice.
The Ministry of Justice should not be confused with the Public Ministry, which is not a government ministry but the independent body of magistrates of the judiciary charged with the public prosecution and legal representation of the State before the courts.
Unlike many other countries, the Portuguese Minister of Justice does not have any kind of hierarchic authority over the public prosecutors.
Roles The roles of the Ministry of Justice include: to conceive, to conduct, to execute and to assess the policy of Justice defined by the Assembly of the Republic and by the Government; to assure the relationship of the Government with the courts, the Public Ministry, the Higher Council of Magistrates and the Higher Council of the Administrative and Tax Courts.
History The present Ministry of Justice was created in 1821 as the Secretariat of State of the Ecclesiastical and Justice Affairs (also referred as the Ministry of Ecclesiastical and Justice Affairs). In 1910, it became the Ministry of Justice and Cults and in 1940, it became the Ministry of Justice.
Organization The Ministry of Justice is headed by the minister, assisted by the Secretaries of State of Justice.
The following agencies are part of the Ministry of Justice: Directorate-General of the Policy of Justice Inspectorate-General of the Services of Justice Secretariat-General of the Ministry of Justice Judiciary Police Directorate-General of the Administration of Justice Directorate-General of the Probation and Prison Services Institute of Justice Equipment and Facilities Management Institute of Registries and Notary National Industrial Property Institute National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences Center of Judiciary Studies Crime Victims Protection Commission Insolvency Administrators Activity Control and Appreciation Commission
List of ministers
Regency of D. Pedro (1830-1834) # Minister and Secretary of State for Ecclesiastical Affairs and Justice (Birth-Death) Beginning of the mandate End of mandate Government1Luís da Silva Mouzinho de Albuquerque (1792-1846)March 15, 1830January 14, 1831Gov. Reg.-António César de Vasconcelos Correia (interim) (1797-1865)January 14, 1831July 2, 18312José António Ferreira Brak-Lamy (1780-1847)July 2, 1831October 10, 18313José Dionísio da Serra (1772-1836)October 10, 1831March 3, 18324José Xavier Mouzinho da Silveira (acting) (1780-1849)March 3, 1832December 3, 18325Joaquim António de Magalhães (1795-1848)December 3, 1832April 21, 18336José da Silva Carvalho (interim) (1782-1856)April 21, 1833April 23, 18347Joaquim António de Aguiar (1792-1884)April 23, 1834September 24, 1834
Constitutional Monarchy (1830-1910) # Minister and Secretary of State for Ecclesiastical Affairs and Justice (Birth-Death) Beginning of the mandate End of mandate Government8António Barreto Ferraz de Vasconcelos (1789-1861)September 24, 1834April 28, 1835I9Manuel Duarte Leitão (1787-1856)April 28, 1835May 27, 183510Manuel António de Carvalho (1785-1858)May 27, 1835July 15, 1835II11João de Sousa Pinto de Magalhães (1790-1865)July 15, 1835November 18, 1835III12Manuel António Velez Caldeira de Pina Castelo Branco (1791-1868)November 18, 1835April 20, 1836IV13Joaquim António de Aguiar (2nd time) (1792-1884)April 20, 1836September 10, 1836V14António Manuel Lopes Vieira de Castro (1766-1842)September 10, 1836November 4, 1836SAW-Francisco de Paula de Oliveira (not sworn in) (1768-1865)November 4, 1836November 5, 1836GMAntónio Manuel Lopes Vieira de Castro (re-elected) (1766-1842)November 5, 1836May 27, 1837VII15Manuel da Silva Passos "Manuel " (interim) (1801-1862)May 27, 1837June 1, 183716António Dias de Oliveira (acting) (1804-1863)June 1, 1837August 10, 1837VIII17José Alexandre de Campos e Almeida (1794-1850)August 10, 1837March 9, 1838IX18João Gualberto de Oliveira (acting) (1788-1852)March 9, 1838March 22, 183819Manuel Duarte Leitão (2nd time, acting) (1787-1856)March 22, 1838August 22, 183820António Fernandes Coelho (interim) (1807-1886)August 22, 1838April 18, 183921João Cardoso da Cunha Araújo and Castro Portocarrero (1792-1864)April 18, 1839November 26, 1839X22António Bernardo da Costa Cabral (1803-1889)November 26, 1839January 12, 1842XIXII23Joaquim António de Aguiar (3rd time, interim) (1792-1884)January 12, 1842February 7, 184224Joaquim António de Magalhães (2nd time, acting) (1795-1848)February 7, 1842February 8, 1842XIII (GE)25Joaquim Filipe de Soure (1805-1882)February 8, 1842-Provisional Government Board composed of:
António Bernardo da Costa Cabral
António Vicente de Queirós, Barão da Ponte de Santa Maria
Marcelino Máximo de Azevedo and Melo
António Pereira dos ReisFebruary 8, 1842February 9, 1842-26Luís da Silva Mouzinho de Albuquerque (2nd time, acting) (1792-1846)February 9, 1842February 20, 1842XIV27João Baptista Felgueiras (1787-1848)February 20, 1842February 24, 184228António de Azevedo Melo e Carvalho (1795-1862)February 24, 1842September 14, 184229José António de Sousa Azevedo, Viscount of Algés (1796-1865)September 14, 1842June 27, 1844-D. António José de Sousa Manuel de Meneses Severim de Noronha, Duque da Terceira and Count of Vila Flor