Sao Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, with its metropolitan area ranking among the largest urban areas in the world. The city is the capital of the State of São Paulo, the most populous Brazilian state. It is also the richest city of Brazil. The name means Saint Paul in Portuguese. São Paulo exerts global influence in commerce and finance as well as arts and entertainment. The city has many renowned landmarks. The Immigrant's Hostel greeted millions of immigrants as they came to Brazil in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Paulista Avenue, in Downtown, is the most important financial center of the country and Latin America. The city is home to the São Paulo Stock Exchange (BOVESPA). São Paulo has been home to several of the tallest buildings in Brazil, including the Mirante do Vale Building. With an estimated population of 10,990,249 residents within an area of 1,523 square kilometres (588 sq mi), São Paulo is the most populous in Brazil, in South America and in the Southern hemisphere. The city also lies at the center of the heavily urbanized São Paulo metropolitan area, which, with an estimated 19,616,060 people in 2008 over 7,944 square kilometres (3,067.2 sq mi), is the largest metropolitan area in the nation. Depending on which definition is used for New York's metropolitan area, the São Paulo metropolitan area is ranked as either the second or third most populous in the Americas, just behind Mexico City,[8] and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world.

The Judge

A judge, or arbiter of justice, is a lead who presides over a court of law, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is like an umpire in a game and conducts the trial impartially and in an open court. The judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the parties of the case, assesses the credibility of the parties, and then issues a ruling on the matter at hand based on his or her interpretation of the law and his or her own personal judgment.

A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law. In both common law and civil law legal systems, courts are the central means for dispute resolution. Some believe all persons have an ability to bring their claims before a court. Similarly, the rights of those accused of a crime include the right to present a defense before a court.

The systems of courts that interpret and apply the law are collectively the judiciary. The place where a court sits is a venue. Court proceedings occur in a courtroom. The building as a courthouse; court facilities range from simple and very small facilities in rural communities to huge buildings in large cities.