Juiz de fora (office)

A juiz de fora (literally meaning "judge from the outside" in Portuguese) was a magistrate appointed by the King of Portugal to serve in the municipalities where the intervention of an impartial and unbiased judge - usually from outside of the town - was necessary. Often, the judges also assumed a political role, being appointed to preside over municipal councils (câmaras) in order to provide some central control.

History

The office arose in Portugal in 1327, under King Afonso IV, as a type of itinerant magistrate, appointed by the Crown. His main function was to ensure compliance with the Law on behalf of the King. The authority of the juiz de fora was far superior to that of ordinary local judges.

The appointment of a juiz de fora was justified by the need for a truly free, impartial judge, brought in from outside of the town to guarantee fair trials judge. The position could not be exercised at the place of origin or habitual residence of the magistrate, nor were they allowed other links with the local population such as marriage or close friendship .

Juiz de Fora

Juiz de Fora (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈʒwiʒ dʒi ˈfɔɾɐ], Outsider Judge), also known as J.F., is a city in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the state border with Rio de Janeiro. According to 2014 estimates the current population is about 550,710 inhabitants. The geographical area of the municipality is 1,437 km² (555 sq mi).

The city's location was a key factor in its economic and demographic development since it is situated between the three most important financial and economic metropolises of southeast Brazil (and also the three largest urban sprawls of the country): Rio de Janeiro (189 km (117 mi)), Belo Horizonte (260 km (160 mi)) and São Paulo (486 km (302 mi)). Major highways connect Juiz de Fora with these three metropolitan areas, the most important being the BR 040 which connects Brasília with Rio de Janeiro via Belo Horizonte. The city is built on the Paraibuna, a major tributary of the Paraíba do Sul river.