Protection of social and economic rights by Federal Public Defender’s Office: reducing inequalities in access to justice to vulnerable groups in brazilian regions?

This work advances in the analysis on the role of the institutions of the federal justice system in the realisation of economic and social rights (SER) focusing on the Public Defender's Office and its judicial and extrajudicial action in the country. The study used a mixed methods approach to identify trends in lawsuits and the role of the federal judicial system institutions like the DPU as methodology. The chapter presents the following sections: after this introduction, the theoretical framework discuss the role of courts and justice system in guaranteeing rights and public policies, especially in Latin America; second, the scenario of litigation and protection of economic and social rights in Brazil; third, the analysis of the protection of social and economic rights in the federal courts, focusing on the Federal Public Defender's Office; lastly conclusions.