Court Decision Number Generator (BR)

Acórdão numbers in Brazilian appellate courts

An acórdão is the written decision of a collegiate body — a panel (turma), chamber (câmara) or full court (pleno) of a Brazilian tribunal. It contrasts with a sentença, which is the decision of a single trial judge. The acórdão materialises an appeal outcome and becomes the citable precedent that lawyers reference for years to come.

How acórdãos are numbered

There is no single national mask: each tribunal historically adopted its own pattern, usually Acórdão Nº NNNN/AAAA plus the rapporteur and procedural class. Since CNJ Resolução 65/2008 the underlying case carries the 20-digit unified number, which lets researchers cross-reference acórdãos across courts even when local sequences differ.

• STF — uses procedural class plus sequential number: ADI, ADC, RE, HC, ARE.
• STJ — REsp (Recurso Especial), AgRg (Agravo Regimental), EDcl (Embargos de Declaração).
• TST — RR (Recurso de Revista), AIRR (Agravo de Instrumento em RR).
• State courts (TJSP, TJMG, TJRJ...) — local sequence per câmara, year of judgement.

What an acórdão actually contains

Every acórdão is structured in four parts: relatório (a summary of the case and procedural history), voto do relator (the rapporteur's opinion), votos divergentes if any, and the parte dispositiva (the operative decision). The decision is signed by the panel members and published in the Diário de Justiça Eletrônico (DJe), which starts the appeal clock.

Appeals against an acórdão

From an acórdão one may file embargos de declaração (to cure omissions or contradictions), an agravo interno, a recurso especial to the STJ on federal-law grounds, or a recurso extraordinário to the STF on constitutional grounds. Since Law 11,418/2006 the RE must demonstrate repercussão geral; since Law 11,672/2008, the STJ may select a REsp as a recurso repetitivo, which freezes every other identical appeal nationwide until the leading case is decided.

Súmula vs. acórdão

A súmula is a one-sentence summary of consolidated case law, voted by the full court; an acórdão is the concrete decision of a specific case. Súmulas vinculantes of the STF bind every other judge and administrative body; ordinary súmulas are persuasive but not binding.

FAQ

Where do I download the full text of an acórdão? Use the originating tribunal's website (stf.jus.br, stj.jus.br, the relevant TJ or TRT). Free aggregators such as Jusbrasil and Buscador Dizer o Direito also expose the inteiro teor.

Is the acórdão number the same as the case number? No. The case has a 20-digit CNJ identifier; the acórdão has its own sequential number assigned at publication. Both must be cited together for academic accuracy.

How do I cite an acórdão correctly? The Brazilian standard is: court, panel, procedural class plus number, rapporteur, judgement date, publication date. Example: STF, Pleno, RE 593.727, Rel. Min. Edson Fachin, j. 14.5.2015, DJe 16.9.2015.

Can I use these generated numbers in production? No. They follow the typical "NNNN/AAAA" mask but do not correspond to any real decision. Use only for tests, mock juris-search interfaces and form-validation work.