Ruth was the senior partner in her law firm for seven years before being elected to the bench in 1998.
In 2007, she announced that she would run for the North Carolina Court of Appeals seat then held by John Tyson in the 2008 elections.
In the May 6, 2008 non-partisan primary, Ruth came in second, which qualified her to run in the November general election against Sam J. Ervin, IV.
[3] In February 2012, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation opened a probe into the handling of 12 drunken driving cases by Ruth.
Ruth failed to review unusual orders submitted by an attorney changing the effective dates when judgments were entered, shortening or eliminating the suspension of drivers' licenses; and in each of the 12 cases the defense attorney was James Crouch, a Wake County criminal lawyer.