Overview

• The plenary ceremony in Brasília on September 30 drew President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, Supreme Court ministers, the defense minister and the national OAB president.
• Sterman assumes the seat reserved for the legal profession that became vacant with José Coêlho Ferreira’s April retirement.
• Her nomination was made on March 8 by President Lula and confirmed by the Senate 51–16 after a CCJ vetting.
• Maria Elizabeth Rocha, the Court’s first woman and current president, presided over the swearing‑in.
• Sterman framed the step as progress toward normalizing women’s presence in the judiciary, and Justice Artur Vidigal said the capacity to judge has no gender.