Leigha Simonton
United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas
Assumed office
December 10, 2022
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded byErin Nealy Cox
Personal details
EducationUniversity of Texas at Austin (BA)
Yale University (JD)

Leigha Amy Simonton[1] is an American lawyer who has served as United States attorney for the Northern District of Texas since December 2022.

Education

Simonton earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Texas at Austin in 1997 and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 2001.[2]

Career

Simonton served as a law clerk for Judge Barbara M. Lynn of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas from 2001 to 2002 and for Judge Patrick Higginbotham of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit from 2002 to 2003. From 2003 to 2005, she was an associate at Haynes and Boone in their Dallas, Texas, office. From 2005 to 2022, she served as an assistant United States attorney in the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas.[3][4]

U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas

On October 14, 2022, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Simonton to be the United States attorney for the Northern District of Texas.[2] On November 14, 2022, her nomination was sent to the United States Senate.[5] Simonton was recommended to the post by Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz.[6] On November 17, 2022, her nomination was reported out of committee by a voice vote.[7] On December 6, 2022, her nomination was confirmed in the Senate by voice vote.[8] She was sworn in by District Judge Barbara M. Lynn on December 10, 2022.[9]

References

  1. ^ "State Bar of Texas | Find A Lawyer | Leigha Amy Simonton". www.texasbar.com.
  2. ^ a b "President Biden Makes Twenty-Seventh Judicial Nominations Announcement and Announces New Nominees to Serve as U.S. Attorneys and U.S. Marshals" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ Curriden, Bruce Tomaso & Mark (2022-08-01). "Sources: Veteran Dallas Prosecutor Front-runner To Be Next NDTX U.S. Attorney". The Texas Lawbook. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  4. ^ "Biden nominates 7 for US attorney, judge and marshal slots, including in Pa". 90.5 WESA. 2022-10-14. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  5. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. November 14, 2022.
  6. ^ "Cornyn Statement on Nominations of U.S. Attorneys for Texas Districts" (Press release). October 17, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  7. ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – November 17, 2022" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  8. ^ "PN2698 — Leigha Simonton — Department of Justice". December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  9. ^ "United States Attorney Leigha Simonton Sworn Into Office". United States Department of Justice. 2022-12-12. Retrieved 2022-12-12.


Legal offices Preceded byErin Nealy Cox United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas 2022–present Incumbent


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