She worked as an outreach coordinator at a children's advocacy center and earned a Master of Public Health from Arizona in 2001.

She then attended Arizona's James E. Rogers College of Law, graduating in 2005 with a Juris Doctor.

[1][3][4] Desai served as the legal counsel and campaign attorney[5] for Senator Kyrsten Sinema.

[3] In naming her one of the publication's 2022 "Women of the Year", USA Today called her "a hero of Democratic legal causes", noting her work to launch a recreational marijuana program in Arizona, her lawsuits fighting false claims about the 2020 United States presidential election, and her work to overturn a ban on mask mandates.

Biden nominated Desai to the seat vacated by Judge Andrew D. Hurwitz, who announced his intent to assume senior status upon confirmation of a successor.