Jobim was born in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, he is a distant relative of the musician Tom Jobim, having in common the same great-great-great-uncle, José Martins da Cruz Jobim. He is the son of the lawyer and former state deputy of Rio Grande do Sul Hélvio Jobim and Nami Azevedo Jobim. He has two brothers, Walter Jobim Neto and Hélvio Jobim Filho. His paternal grandfather, lawyer Walter Só Jobim, has been active in politics in Rio Grande do Sul since the 1920s and, in 1947, he was governor of the state. He was married to Edmea Kruel Jobim, with whom he had three children. Later, he married Adrienne Nelson de Senna. He attended the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre from 1964 to 1968, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Social and Legal Sciences. He taught philosophy of law and procedural law at the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria.
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 :pt:Instituto dos Advogados Brasileiros|Institute of Brazilian Lawyers, based in Rio de Janeiro. Jobim served as an Adjunct Professor of the Department of Law for the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria from 1980 to 1986. In 2013 he was nominated director of the Center for Technology & Society at Fundação Getulio Vargas. Jobim also is Adjunct Professor of the Department of Law of the Universidade de Brasília in the early 1990s.
Political career
Jobim served in Chamber of Deputies, from 1987 to 1995. During this time, he became the leader of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party and chaired the Commission on Constitution and Justice and the Editorial Board of Deputies in 1989. He served as Minister of Justice, from 1 January 1995 to 7 April 1997, under the government of President Fernando Henrique Cardoso. Jobim lobbied for the decriminalization of the use of marijuana, saying: "The drug user must be helped and not persecuted as a criminal; and also was responsible for the demarcation of Indian lands.
Supreme Court nomination
He was nominated to join the Supreme Federal Court in February 1997. After, he was appointed to the post of Minister of the Federal Supreme Court, on April 7, 1997, and took office on the 15th, filling the vacancy caused by the retirement of Francisco Rezek. During his time as Supreme Court Justice, Jobim chaired the elections of October 2002; and was elected Vice-President of the Supreme Court, on April 9, 2003.
Presidency of the Supreme Federal Court
He was elected to Presidency of the Supreme Court on May 19, 2004, and assumed on June 3, 2004. He voluntarily retired from the Court shortly before the end of his term, on March 6, 2006.
Since July 2016, he is a member of the Board of Directors of BTG Pactual bank. In April 2018, he became president of the bank's Board of Directors, in addition to being responsible for Institutional Relations and Compliance Policies. Persio Arida announced the join of former Minister Jobim and stated: "The arrival of ex-Minister Nelson Jobim is another important step towards improving management standards and practices at BTG Pactual. His outstanding track record, experience and knowledge will help to further enhance the Bank's governance".
