[1] She has a degree in psychology from Barcelona's Abat Oliba CEU University (UAO CEU) Since 2006, Ortega has been a member of Parliament, being elected chairwoman of the Committee on the Catalan Corporation for Audiovisual Media (CCMA), the government-owned radio and TV holding.

During that period, she was executive council member for the Eixample district (the area built in the 19th century, which includes among others Gaudi's Sagrada Familia) and vice president of Proeixample, a local council-owned company devoted to urban renewal.

[2] Large public protests took place in Barcelona the same day in support of the accused.

In March 2017, the High Court of Justice of Catalonia condemned Artur Mas, Joana Ortega and Irene Rigau to fines and were barred from office between 18 and 24 months.

[3] Although they were acquitted of charges of misappropriation of public funds, The Court of Auditors has also been judging them as accounting officers for the referendum preparations and claims 5,2 million euros.