[2] She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics[2] from the University of Texas at Austin in 1948 and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Texas School of Law in 1950.

[4] Robinson was a justice of the Court of Civil Appeals for the Seventh Supreme Judicial District of Texas from 1973 to 1979.

[3][4] Robinson was nominated by President Jimmy Carter on February 23, 1979, to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, to a new seat created by the 95th Congress in 1978 (Pub.

[2] Robinson presided over several notable cases, including the Texas Beef Group v. Winfrey trial in 1998.

[5] In 2018, the federal building and courthouse in Amarillo was named the J. Marvin Jones Federal Building and Mary Lou Robinson United States Courthouse in Robinson's honor.