Nelva Gonzales Ramos
2011 - Present
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Nelva Gonzales Ramos is an Article III federal judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. She was nominated by President Barack Obama in January 2011.
Education
Ramos received her bachelor's degree from Southwest Texas State University in 1987 and her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 1991.[1]
Professional career
- 2001-2011: District judge, Texas 347th Judicial District
- 1999-2000: Attorney in private practice, Corpus Christi, Texas
- 1997-1999: Judge, Municipal Court, City of Corpus Christi, Texas
- 1991-1997: Attorney in private practice, Corpus Christi, Texas[1][2]
Judicial career
Southern District of Texas
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Nelva Gonzales Ramos |
| Court: Southern District of Texas |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 187 days after nomination. |
| Questionnaire: |
| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
Ramos was nominated to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas to replace the retired Hayden Head.[3]
Ramos was rated Substantial Majority Qualified, Minority Well Qualified by the American Bar Association. She had a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 13, 2011. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to send Ramos' nomination to the full Senate for a vote on May 12, 2011.[4]
Ramos was confirmed by a Senate voice vote on August 2, 2011.[5] After receiving word on August 4, 2011, that the paperwork had been signed by President Obama, Ramos was officially sworn in at the federal courthouse in Corpus Christi.[6]
In late May 2011, before Senate confirmation hearings were scheduled, Governor Rick Perry interviewed applicants to replace Ramos as judge of the Texas 347th Judicial District.[7]
Noteworthy cases
Texas voter ID law blocked by a federal judge (2014)
A federal judge ruled that Texas was unable to enforce a new law that would require voters to show identification prior to voting. Opponents of the law claimed that it would prevent minorities, who are less likely to have an approved form of ID, from voting. Judge Nelva Gonzalez Ramos, who agreed with opponents of the law, ruled less than a month before the November 2014 elections. Judge Ramos wrote that the law was enacted with a discriminatory purpose and put undue burdens upon citizens trying to carry out their right to vote.
Supporters of the law said that it had widespread public approval, including from minorities. Further, the state attorney’s office pointed out that similar laws in other states had been upheld. Opponents, however, claimed that the Texas law was stricter and discriminatory in nature. For example, college IDs would not have been acceptable but a handgun permit would. The state would have offered special voting IDs for a cost of $3 if a person could show a legal birth certificate, but opponents claimed this was an undue burden on the poorest in the state who could not afford to travel to the offices to obtain these IDs.
Articles:
Emergency "Park It Now" motion denied for recalled General Motors cars (2014)
- See also: United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas (Silvas, et al v. General Motors, LLC, 2:14-cv-00089)
- See also: United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas (Silvas, et al v. General Motors, LLC, 2:14-cv-00089)
On April 17, 2014, Judge Ramos denied an emergency motion—which colloquially came to be called the "Park It Now" motion—for injunctive relief filed by Charles and Grace Silvas. The motion asked the court to order General Motors (GM) to tell customers to stop driving recalled vehicles until repairs could be made.[8]
Many lawsuits were filed due to GM's faulty ignition switch technology, including the one by Charles and Grace Silvas in Texas. At the time, about 26 million people owned GM cars with defective ignition switches that could affect power steering and braking capabilities, as well as airbag deployment. As of March 2014, the problem had been linked to more than 30 accidents and more than 10 deaths.[8] The Silvases originally filed suit to reclaim the lost value of their recalled car, a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt, but their lawyers filed a motion in March 2014 in an attempt to force the automaker, through a court order, to advise all customers to stop driving their cars in the interest of safety.[9]
Judge Ramos denied the motion, noting that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had jurisdiction over the remedy being sought, writing, "[t]he court is of the opinion that N.H.T.S.A. is far better equipped than this court to address the broad and complex issues of automotive safety and the regulation of automotive companies in connection with a nationwide recall."[8]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Federal Judicial Center, "Biography of Nelva Gonzales Ramos"
- ↑ News-Journal.com, "Obama nominates Corpus Christi judge to federal bench," January 28, 2011
- ↑ Fox Houston, "Nueces County judge nominated to federal bench," January 27, 2011
- ↑ Corpus Christi Caller, "Committee vote brings Nelva Gonzales Ramos closer to federal judgeship," May 12, 2011
- ↑ Senate Judiciary Committee, "112th Senate Confirmation Materials," accessed May 20, 2014
- ↑ Corpus Christi Caller, "President signs off on Nelva Gonzales Ramos' confirmation," August 4, 2011
- ↑ Corpus Christi Caller, "Attorneys, judges apply to fill vacancy Nelva Gonzales Ramos appointment may create," June 8, 2011
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 New York Times, "A Bid to Park Recalled G.M. Cars Is Denied," April 17, 2014
- ↑ CNBC, "Judge to hear motion on parking GM recalled cars," March 27, 2014
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| Preceded by - |
United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas 2011-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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