Nelva Gonzales Ramos

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. She attended Texas State University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts summa cum laude in 1987. Ramos then earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Texas School of Law in 1991.

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

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. Ramos was the only candidate also supported by Republican Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn. She received her commission on August 4, 2011.

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.