Ramirez began her legal career working as an associate for the law firm Locke Purnell Rain Harrell, PC (now
Locke Lord LLP) in
Dallas from 1991 to 1995. She served as an
assistant United States attorney for the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of
Texas, working in the Civil Division from 1995 to 1999 and the Criminal Division from 1999 to 2002. She served as a
United States magistrate judge for the
United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas from September 9, 2002 to December 8, 2023.
Notable opinions In 2017, Ramirez issued
Deion Sanders a $2,200 fine when he missed a
deposition. The case involved a
whistleblower allegation that he and others involved with a defunct
charter school cheated the
Federal School Lunch Program. In 2019, Ramirez dismissed a
wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of
Botham Jean against the city of
Dallas. Jean was killed when off-duty
Dallas Police Department officer Amber Guyger claimed she mistook him for an intruder after thinking she'd entered her own apartment, and fatally shot him. Ramirez found that the family did not show a pattern of police racism or other wrongdoing that would implicate the city. In 2021, Ramirez was the judge for the case against Joseph Garza, a Dallas tax lawyer. Garza was accused of hiding $1 billion in income from the
IRS and reducing $200 million from client tax bills by using
fraudulent tax shelters.
Expired nomination to United States district court On March 15, 2016, President
Barack Obama nominated Ramirez to serve as a
United States district judge for the
United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, to the seat vacated by Judge
Terry R. Means, who assumed
senior status on July 3, 2013. On September 7, 2016, a hearing before the
Senate Judiciary Committee was held on her nomination. Her nomination expired on January 3, 2017, with the end of the
114th Congress.
United States Court of appeals service On April 14, 2023, President
Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Ramirez to serve as
United States circuit judge for the
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. On April 17, 2023, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Ramirez to the seat vacated by Judge
Gregg Costa, who resigned on August 31, 2022. Her nomination received the support of Senators
John Cornyn and
Ted Cruz. On May 17, 2023, a hearing on her nomination was held before the
United States Judiciary Committee. On June 8, 2023, her nomination was favorably reported by the committee by a
voice vote, with Senator
Josh Hawley voting no on record. On November 30, 2023, the
United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by an 80–17 vote. On December 4, 2023, her nomination was confirmed by an 80–12 vote. She received her judicial commission on December 8, 2023. She is the first
Latina to serve on the Fifth Circuit.
Notable cases On August 14, 2025, Ramirez and
Senior Judge James L. Dennis ruled that Louisiana maps “packed” and “cracked” Black communities, unlawfully diluting Black voters’ power to elect their preferred candidates under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. On September 2, 2025, Ramirez was in the 2-1 majority that ruled that Trump cannot use the
Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans. == See also ==