Rights
The most accessible amparo in the Americas
The Sala Constitucional hears recursos de amparo with almost no formality: no lawyer, no fee, no prescribed form, and it may be filed in any language at any time. That design produces tens of thousands of filings a year and has made constitutional litigation the ordinary route for enforcing health, environmental and due-process rights.
Key rules
- Amparo lies against any public authority and against private parties in a position of power.
- There is no deadline while the violation continues; the general limit is two months from the act ceasing.
- Filing an amparo automatically suspends the challenged act unless the chamber orders otherwise.
- An acción de inconstitucionalidad requires a pending case or the backing of the Ombudsman, Attorney General or 50 citizens.
- Rulings bind everyone except the chamber itself (Article 13 of the Jurisdiction Act).
Governing law
- Political Constitution (Arts 10, 48)Constitutional jurisdiction and amparo.
- Ley de la Jurisdicción Constitucional (Ley 7135 of 1989)Procedure before the Sala IV.
In practice
A handwritten note or an email to the chamber is enough to open a case. Health-related amparos against the CCSS for delayed treatment are the single largest category and are often resolved in weeks.