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Nelson Azevedo Jobim
Minister of Defence of Brazil
Incumbent
Assumed office  July 25, 2007
Preceded by	Waldir Pires
Born	12 April 1946 Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul
Residence	Brasília, Brazil
Profession	Jurist, politician

Nelson Azevedo Jobim (born 12 April 1946 in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul) is a Brazilian jurist and politician. He once served as President of the Brazilian Supreme Federal Tribunal. He now serves as the Minister of Defense for Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He is cousin of the musician Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Early life

Jobim was the son of Hélvio Namy and Azevedo Jobim, and the grandson of former governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Walter Só Jobim. He attended the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre from 1964 to 1968, and graudated with a bachelor's degree in Social and Legal Sciences.^[1] He taught philosophy of law and procedural law at the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria.^[2]

Law and teaching career

After graduation, he began practicing as a lawyer. He was chairman of the sub-section of the Order of Attorneys of Brazil in Santa Maria from 1977 to 1978, and was vice president of the Rio Grande do Sul section of the Brazilian Bar Association from 1985 to 1986. He was also a member of the Office of Lawyers of Rio Grande do Sul and the Institute of Brazilian Lawyers, based in Rio de Janeiro.^[1] Jobim served as an Adjunct Professor of the Department of Law for the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria from 1980 to 1986.^[1]

Political career

Jobim was a federal deputy for the 48th and 49th legislatures, from 1987 to 1995.^[1] During this time, he became leader of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), and chaired the Commission on Constitution and Justice and the Editorial Board of Deputies in 1989.^[1] He served as Minister of Justice from 1 January 1995 to 7 April 1997 under the government of President Fernando Henrique Cardoso.^[1] While Justice Minister, Jobim lobbied for the decriminalization of the use of marijuana, saying "The drug user must be helped and not persecuted as a criminal."^[3] He also was responsible for the demarcation of Indian lands as head of the Ministry of Justice, though three years earlier he represented the state of Pará in a failed effort to have an Indian reserve in Pará declared unconstitutional.^[4]

He was nominated to join the Supreme Federal Court in February 1997. He was appointed Minister of the Federal Supreme Court on 7 April 1997 and took office on the 15th, filling the vacancy caused by the retirement of Francisco Rezek.^[5] During his time as Supreme Court Justice, Jobim chaired the elections of October 2002, and was elected Vice-President of the Supreme Court on 9 April 2003.^[5] He was elected President of the Supreme Court on 19 May 2004. He assumed the Presidency of the Court on 3 June 2004, and retired from the Court shortly before the end of his term as president of the court.

Nelson Jobim in 2008

He is the current Defense Minister of Brazil. He was appointed to the position on July 25, 2007 due to the firing of Waldir Pires for his role in the aviation crisis of 2006-2007.^[6] Recently, he has been active in the aftermath of the crash of Air France Flight 447. On June 2, 2009, Jobim announced that the Air Force believed they had found wreckage was from Flight 447,^[7][8] leading to three days of official mourning.^[9]

References