
Robert Alexy, one of the most influential jurists in the world, dies at the age of 80.
The world legal scene lost one of its greatest exponents with the death of the legal philosopher Robert Alexy at the age of 80. Professor at Kiel University in Germany, Alexy established himself as one of the most influential figures in contemporary legal thought, being widely recognized for his contributions to the fields of Theory of Principles and Theory of Legal Argumentation.
Graduated in Law and Philosophy from the University of Göttingen, Alexy was a disciple of Ralf Dreier. His academic career reached its peak with the publication of works that became pillars of modern Constitutional Law. In 1976, he completed his doctoral dissertation entitled A Theory of Legal Argumentation, a work that established new standards for the logic and reasoning of judicial decisions.
Later, in 1984, he obtained his qualification from the “Theory of Fundamental Rights”, a work that introduced the analytical distinction between rules and principles, in addition to consolidating the application of the principle of proportionality. Throughout his career, he received several honors, including the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2010.
Robert Alexy’s relationship with Brazil was close. In 2016, the jurist was in São Paulo to participate in an event promoted by the Association of Labor Justice Magistrates of the 2nd Region (Amatra-2), in the Fórum Trabalhista da Barra Funda. At the time, he detailed the functioning of his theory, reinforcing how weighting should be applied to resolve conflicts between fundamental rights.
The Supreme Court (STF) expressed official mourning over the jurist’s passing. In a note, the Court pointed out that Alexy’s research revolutionized the understanding of Constitutional Law by providing a universal vocabulary for the resolution of normative conflicts. The Court also pointed out that the formula of proportionality developed by the teacher continues to guide the Brazilian jurisprudence and that of several other international constitutional courts.
The death of the jurist occurred this last Saturday (5/9).

