Justice Gracie at her affirmation as President of the SFT.

Ellen Gracie Northfleet (born February 16, 1948, Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian judge, and the first female to be appointed to the Brazilian Supreme Federal Tribunal and its first female president. February 16 is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... Location of Rio de Janeiro Coordinates: Country Brazil Region Southeast State Rio de Janeiro Government  - Mayor Cesar Maia (PFL) Area  - City 1,260 km²  (486. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Supreme Federal Tribunal (in Portuguese Supremo Tribunal Federal, or simply STF) is the highest court of law of the Federative Republic of Brazil. ...

She earned her LL.B from the Faculty of Law of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in 1970, and later pursued a graduate degree in Social Anthropology at the same university. The degree of Bachelor of Laws is the principal academic degree in law in most common law countries other than the United States, where it has been replaced by the Juris Doctor degree. ... The Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Portuguese Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, UFRGS in shorthand) is among the largest federal universities of Brazil, where public universities are often among the most qualified institutions. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Cultural anthropology, also called social anthropology or socio-cultural anthropology, is one of four commonly recognized fields of anthropology, the holistic study of humanity. ...

Her public career began in 1971, clerking for the Rio Grande do Sul State General Counsel. On November 7, 1973, she joined the Ministério Público Federal, where she remained in the capacity of Federal Attorney until 1989. 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... November 7 is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 54 days remaining. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Gracie was appointed to the Supreme Federal Tribunal on November 23, 2000, the first woman to be named to the tribunal. On March 15, 2006 she was chosen to head this court by a vote of its justices. She substitutes Nelson Jobim, who retired on March 30, 2006, presumably to run for office. She was 58 years of age at the time of her election. November 23 is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 38 days remaining. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (75th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... March 30 is the 89th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (90th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

In May 2006, Gracie came very close to becoming the first female president, when Luis Inacio Lula da Silva was travelling abroad. According to Brazilian law, the next in succession becomes interim president. However, since elections were drawing near, anyone who occupied the post would be disqualified from running for office, so the vice-president, Jose Alencar, and the speaker of the house, Aldo Rebelo, the next in sucession and who were considering running, also left Brazil. This meant that Gracie would be interim for at least 10 hours. However, President of the Senate Renan Calheiros, who many believed would run for public office and preceded Gracie in the order of succession, stayed behind. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (born October 6, 1945) is a left-wing Brazilian politician. ... José Alencar Gomes da Silva is the vice president of Brazil since 2002, under president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. ... Aldo Rebelo (Antonio Cruz/ABr) José Aldo Rebelo Figueiredo (born in Viçosa on 23 February 1956) is a Brazilian politictian, member of the Communist Party of Brazil, federal deputy elected by the state of São Paulo and the current president of the federal Chamber of Deputies of Brazil. ... In its present configuration, the Brazilian Senate (Portuguese: Senado Federal) is a federal legislative body and the upper house of the National Congress of Brazil. ...

Justice Gracie was also a Fulbright Scholar and assisted in the development of the United States Law Library of Congress Global legal information network project. The Fulbright Program is program of educational grants (Fulbright Fellowships) sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State. ...