Leigha Amy Simonton 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
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
from
Yale Law School in 2001.
[ ]
Career
Simonton served as a
law clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person, generally someone who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant ...
for Judge
Barbara M. Lynn
Barbara M. G. Lynn (born September 19, 1952) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, with chambers in Dallas, Texas.
Early life and education
Born in Binghamton, New York, Lyn ...
of the
in 2001 and 2002 and Circuit Judge
Patrick Higginbotham
Patrick Errol Higginbotham (born December 16, 1938) is an American judge and lawyer who serves as a Senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Background and education
Judge Higginbotham wa ...
of the
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in 2002 and 2003. From 2003 to 2005, she was an
associate at
Haynes and Boone Haynes may refer to:
People
*Haynes (surname)
Places
In Australia:
* Haynes, Western Australia
In Canada:
* Haynes, Alberta
In the United Kingdom:
*Haynes, Bedfordshire
** Haynes Church End
In the United States:
*Haynes, Arkansas
* Haynes, Nort ...
in their
Dallas, Texas office. From 2005 to 2022, she served as an
assistant United States attorney
An assistant United States attorney (AUSA) is an official career civil service position in the U.S. Department of Justice composed of lawyers working under the U.S. Attorney of each U.S. federal judicial district. They represent the federal gove ...
in the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas.
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
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas (in case citations, N.D. Tex.) is a United States district court. Its first judge, Andrew Phelps McCormick, was appointed to the court on April 10, 1879. The court convenes i ...
.
On November 14, 2022, her nomination was sent to the
United States Senate. Simonton was recommended to the post by Senators
John Cornyn and
Ted Cruz. On November 17, 2022, her nomination was reported out of committee by a
voice vote. On December 6, 2022, her nomination was confirmed in the Senate by
voice vote. She was sworn in by District Judge
Barbara M. Lynn
Barbara M. G. Lynn (born September 19, 1952) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, with chambers in Dallas, Texas.
Early life and education
Born in Binghamton, New York, Lyn ...
on December 10, 2022.
References
Living people
21st-century American women lawyers
21st-century American lawyers
Assistant United States Attorneys
Texas lawyers
United States Attorneys for the Northern District of Texas
University of Texas at Austin alumni
Yale Law School alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)
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