One of the most distinguishable principles regarding the amparo proceeding as an extraordinary judicial mean for the protection of constitutional rights is the principle of bilateralism, which implies the need for the existence of a controversy between two or more parties. The main consequence of this principle is that the amparo proceeding can only be initiated at a party's request, which excludes any case of ex officio amparo proceeding, except in some countries, on matters of habeas corpus.

Consequently, in order to initiate this proceeding an action, a recourse or a petition must be brought before a court by a plaintiff as the injured party, against the injurer party or parties, who as defendants, must be called to the procedure as having caused the harm or the violation to the constitutional rights of the former. Because of this principle of bilateralism, all the Amparo Laws in Latin America contain specific provisions regarding both parties.

On the other hand, the right violated in order to be protected by means of the amparo proceeding must be a constitutional right declared in the constitution or recognized with constitutional rank.

This section of the book is devoted to analyze, separately, the general principles related to the rules of standing, and the justiciable rights by means of the amparo, with particular reference to the question of the justiciability of social rights.