Irma Carrillo Ramirez

American judge (born 1964)
Irma Carrillo Ramirez
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing - May 17, 2023
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 8, 2023
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded byGregg Costa
Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
In office
September 9, 2002 – December 8, 2023
Personal details
Born
Irma Jean Carrillo[1]

1964 (age 59–60)
Brownfield, Texas, U.S.
EducationWest Texas A&M University (BA)
Southern Methodist University (JD)

Irma Carrillo Ramirez (born 1964)[1] is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She previously served as a United States magistrate judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas from 2002 to 2023. She is a former nominee to be a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Early life and education

Ramirez was born in 1964.[2] Ramirez's parents were Mexican immigrants who came to the United States under the bracero guest worker program.[3][4] She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from West Texas A&M University in 1986 and a Juris Doctor from the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law in 1991.

Career

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.[5] 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.[6]

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.[7][8]

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.[9][10]

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.[11][12][13]

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing - September 7, 2016

Expired nomination to U.S. district court

On March 15, 2016, President Barack Obama nominated Ramirez to serve as a United States district judge for the Northern District of Texas, to the seat vacated by Judge Terry R. Means, who assumed senior status on July 3, 2013.[14] On September 7, 2016, a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee was held on her nomination.[15] Her nomination expired on January 3, 2017, with the end of the 114th Congress.

U.S. 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 Fifth Circuit.[16][17] 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.[18] Her nomination received the support of Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz.[19][20][21][22][23] On May 17, 2023, a hearing on her nomination was held before the United States Judiciary Committee.[24][25][26] On June 8, 2023, her nomination was favorably reported by the committee by a voice vote, with Senator Josh Hawley voting no on record.[27][28][29] On November 30, 2023, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by an 80–17 vote.[30] On December 4, 2023, her nomination was confirmed by an 80–12 vote.[31] She received her judicial commission on December 8, 2023.[32] She is the first Latina to serve on the Fifth Circuit.[33][34][35]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Irma Carrillo Ramirez" (PDF).
  2. ^ "United States District Court profile".
  3. ^ "Dallas judge who'd be first Latina on 5th Circuit appeals court OK'd by Cornyn and Cruz". Dallas News. April 14, 2023.
  4. ^ https://www.fedbar.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/RamirezOct2008-pdf-3.pdf
  5. ^ "President Obama Nominates Six to Serve on the United States District Courts". whitehouse.gov. March 15, 2016.
  6. ^ ""School of Law Spring 2015 Hooding Ceremony", Texas Tech University School of Law, May 16, 2015". Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  7. ^ Thompson, Dee. "Deion Sanders fails to appear at hearing regarding Prime Prep Academy". Southeast Texas Record.
  8. ^ "Deion Sanders To Pay Atty Fees In Whistleblower's Suit - Law360". www.law360.com.
  9. ^ Schutze, Jim. "Dallas Can Grieve for Botham Jean Without Bowing to Shame". Dallas Observer.
  10. ^ Schutze, Jim (September 21, 2020). "Botham Jean's Family and Amber Guyger Now Agree on One Thing". D Magazine.
  11. ^ Staff, FOX 4 (October 28, 2022). "Dallas tax attorney helped clients hide $1B from IRS, prosecutors say". FOX 4.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ Strickland, Patrick. "Feds Pop Dallas Lawyer Over Alleged $1 Billion Tax Shelter Scheme". Dallas Observer.
  13. ^ "Northern District of Texas | Dallas Attorney Charged In $1 Billion Tax Shelter Scheme | United States Department of Justice". www.justice.gov. October 27, 2022.
  14. ^ "Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate". whitehouse.gov. March 15, 2016.
  15. ^ "Nominations | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary". www.judiciary.senate.gov.
  16. ^ Kapur, Sahil (14 April 2023). "Biden to nominate two Latina judges to appeals courts". www.nbcnews.com.
  17. ^ "President Biden Names Thirty-Second Round of Judicial Nominees" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2023. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  18. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. April 17, 2023.
  19. ^ "Cornyn, Cruz on Nomination of Irma Carrillo Ramirez for U.S. Fifth Circuit Court" (Press release).
  20. ^ Choi, Matthew (April 14, 2023). "Biden to nominate Texas judge to be first Latina on federal appeals court". The Texas Tribune.
  21. ^ "Fifth Circuit nominee would be first Hispanic woman at the court | Courthouse News Service".
  22. ^ "Biden to Nominate First Hispanic Woman to Fifth Circuit (3)". news.bloomberglaw.com.
  23. ^ Goudsward, Andrew (April 14, 2023). "Biden nominates Texas judge for conservative-leaning 5th Circuit appeals court" – via www.reuters.com.
  24. ^ "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. May 15, 2023.
  25. ^ Morton, Joseph. "From West Texas cotton fields to the 5th Circuit: Dallas judge poised to make history". Dallas News. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  26. ^ Goudsward, Andrew (May 17, 2023). "Senate panel hails rare unity on Biden nominee for 5th Circuit judge". Reuters. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  27. ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – June 8, 2023" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  28. ^ Headley, Tiana. "Hispanic Woman Who'd Make Fifth Circuit History Advances". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  29. ^ Morton, Joseph. "First Latina on 5th Circuit one step away as Senate panel OKs Dallas judge". dallasnews.com. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  30. ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Irma Carrillo Ramirez to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit)". United States Senate. November 30, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  31. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Irma Carrillo Ramirez, of Texas, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit)". United States Senate. December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  32. ^ Irma Carrillo Ramirez at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  33. ^ Morton, Joseph. "Senate confirms Dallas judge Irma Carrillo Ramirez as first Latina on 5th Circuit". dallasnews.com. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  34. ^ Umanah, Ufonobong; Stern, Seth. "Ramirez Confirmed as First Latina to Serve on Fifth Circuit". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  35. ^ Raymond, Nate. "US Senate confirms first Latina to conservative-majority 5th Circuit". Reuters. Retrieved December 4, 2023.

External links

Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
2023–present 		Incumbent
  • v
  • t
  • e
Full list · Names in bold represent current chief judges.
1st Circuit
Active
Senior
2nd Circuit
Active
Senior
3rd Circuit
Active
Senior
4th Circuit
Active
Senior
5th Circuit
Active
Senior
6th Circuit
Active
Senior
7th Circuit
Active
Senior
8th Circuit
Active
Senior
9th Circuit
Active
Senior
10th Circuit
Active
Senior
11th Circuit
Active
Senior
D.C. Circuit
Active
Senior
Federal Circuit
Active
Senior