An article in the June 2000 issue of NC's Administrative Office of The Court's A Brief Recess highlighted Judge Ruth's pursuit of learning Spanish.

As quoted in the article, Judge Ruth explain that, "Learning Spanish is something that has always been important to me. As a judge, I felt I would be a real asset in the courtroom if I could speak Spanish. Since I’ve been on the bench,
I’ve seen, on a daily basis, the increase of Latinos and Spanish
speaking people in the court system."