The ‘Two Faces of Janus’ of the Portuguese Judicial System: Tradition and Modernization

Evolution in public policies occur when two or more sides come into conflict (Jagers, Matti, & Nordblom, 2020). Thus, not only are moments of tension between programs, parties, and policies, at a broader level the factors which contribute to the introduction of innovations and reforms – but also between different working cultures, at a local level –. The Portuguese judicial system is no different. Through an analysis of interviews of officials in the Portuguese judicial system, this paper develops an understanding of how tradition and modernization, often seen as two poles of the same force, like the two faces of the Roman god Janus, must be combined to find an ideal model for the system. Through analyzing interviews with key actors in control of the implementation of working practices, processes, and projects, it will be concluded that an ideal model of the Portuguese judicial system advocates specialization and modernization, while incorporating traditional practices.