[1] Ortega was born Darleen Mock in Montebello, California, to a European-American father and Mexican-American mother.
[1][2] She grew up in the Los Angeles area until age 10 when her family moved to Banks, Oregon, west of Portland.
[1] She graduated in 1984 with a bachelor of arts degree in writing and literature, earning summa cum laude honors.
[1] In 1992, Ortega returned to Oregon and began working at the Portland law firm of Bullivant Houser Bailey, remaining until 1995.
[10] The Oregon State Bar included Ortega on its list of nine high-qualified candidates that Governor Kate Brown could pick from when filling the Supreme Court vacancy.