Nelva Gonzales Ramos

Nelva Gonzales Ramos
Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
Incumbent
Assumed office
August 4, 2011
Appointed byBarack Obama
Preceded byHayden Wilson Head Jr.
Personal details
Born (1965-08-22) August 22, 1965 (age 59)
Port Lavaca, Texas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationTexas State University–San Marcos (BA)
University of Texas at Austin (JD)

Nelva Gonzales Ramos (born August 22, 1965) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Early life and education

Ramos was born in 1965 in Port Lavaca, Texas.[1] She attended Texas State University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts summa cum laude in 1987.[2] Ramos then earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Texas School of Law in 1991.[2][3]

Career

Ramos was in private practice in Corpus Christi, Texas, from 1991 to 1997 and again during 1999 and 2000.[3]

State judicial service

She served as a judge of the Corpus Christi Municipal Court from 1997 to 1999.[3] From 2001 to 2011, Ramos served as a judge of the 347th District Court.[3][4]

Federal judicial service

During the 111th Congress, Ramos was one of three candidates recommended by Democrats from the Texas House delegation for a Corpus Christi vacancy on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.[5] Ramos was the only candidate also supported by Republican Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn.[4] On January 26, 2011, President Barack Obama nominated Ramos to a seat vacated by Judge Hayden Wilson Head Jr.[4] The United States Senate confirmed Ramos by unanimous consent on August 2, 2011.[6] She received her commission on August 4, 2011.[3]

Notable rulings

In August 2016, Ramos ruled in a case accusing the state of misleading voters without IDs. Ramos ruled that the U.S. Department of Justice alleged officials used news releases, a website and resources for training election officials to narrow "dramatically the scope of voters protected".[7]

On April 10, 2017, Ramos ruled that Texas' voter ID law was passed in 2011 with the intent to discriminate against minority voters. On April 27, 2018, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed Ramos' ruling, upholding the Texas voter ID law in a 2–1 vote.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary (January 24, 2011). "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Nelva Gonzales Ramos" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 11, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Texas State alumna nominated for federal district judgeship". The Texas State University-San Marcos Blog. January 27, 2011. Archived from the original on November 11, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d e Nelva Gonzales Ramos at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  4. ^ a b c Foley, Sara (January 26, 2011). "Nelva Gonzales Ramos nominated for federal judgeship". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Archived from the original on March 3, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  5. ^ Cavazos, Mary Ann; Powell, Jaime (June 9, 2010). "Democrats select three finalists for federal judgeship". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  6. ^ "Judicial Nominations and Confirmations: 112th Congress". judiciary.senate.gov. Archived from the original on 2011-01-08.
  7. ^ Saleh Rauf, David (September 7, 2016). "Court filing accuses state of misleading voters without IDs". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  8. ^ Ura, Alexa (27 April 2018). "Federal appellate court upholds embattled Texas voter ID law". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
2011–present 		Incumbent