Nicholas Ganjei

Nicholas Jon Ganjei
Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
Incumbent
Assumed office
March 10, 2026
Appointed byDonald Trump
Preceded byLynn Hughes
United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas
In office
January 29, 2025 – March 10, 2026
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byAlamdar S. Hamdani
Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas
In office
January 20, 2021 – November 16, 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byStephen J. Cox
Succeeded byBrit Featherston
Personal details
Born1979 (age 46–47)
Santa Clara, California, U.S.
EducationAmerican University (BA)
University of California, Berkeley (JD)

Nicholas Jon Ganjei (born 1979) is a United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.[1] He previously served as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas from January 2025 to March 2026.[2]

Early life and education

Ganjei was born in 1979, in Santa Clara, California.[3] He attained the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America in 1997. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2000, cum laude from American University with a dual major in history and political science. He received a Juris Doctor in 2005 from UC Berkeley School of Law. Since 2023, he is studying at the Van Andel School of Government at Hillsdale College working on a Master in Government degree.[3]

Career

From 2005 to 2007, Ganjei served as a law clerk for Ralph R. Erickson, then a United States district judge for the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota. He served as a law clerk for Richard Allen Griffin of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. From 2008 to 2020, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of New Mexico. He served as First Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Texas from June 2020 to January 2021 and as Acting United States Attorney from January 2021 to November 2021. He served as Chief Counsel to United States Senator Ted Cruz from 2022 to 2025. Ganjei was appointed United States Attorney by Acting Attorney General James McHenry in January 2025.[4] In May 2025, Ganjei received the unanimous vote of the judges of the Southern District of Texas, re-appointing him as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District.[5] Ganjei served as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas from January 2025 until his appointment to the federal bench in March 2026.[3][1]

Nomination to district court

Circa October 28, 2025, President Donald Trump transmitted a filled out Senate Judiciary Committee Questionnaire for United States district judge for Ganjei, prima facie evidence that Ganjei's nomination to that office was forthcoming, to the seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas vacated by Judge Lynn Hughes.[3] Trump announced his nomination on Truth Social on November 12, 2025.[6] The nomination was formally transmitted to the United States Senate on November 18, 2025.[7] On November 19, 2025, a hearing on his nomination was held by the United States Senate Judiciary Committee.[8] On December 11, 2025, the committee voted to report his nomination to the Senate by a 12–10 party-line vote.[9] On February 3, 2026, the Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 49–44 vote.[10] Later that day, his nomination was confirmed by a 51–45 vote.[11] He received his judicial commission on judicial commission March 10th, 2026.[12]

Personal

Ganjei is the first Persian-American to serve as a United States Attorney anywhere in the country, and is the first ever Persian-American to serve as a federal Article III judge.[2] He resides in Houston, Texas.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b "Ganjei, Nicholas Jon | Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
  2. ^ a b "Ganjei announces intent to resign from position of United States Attorney". United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas. 2026-03-09. Retrieved 2026-03-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ a b c d e "Senate Judiciary Committee Questionnaire" (PDF). www.judiciary.senate.gov. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. October 28, 2025. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  4. ^ U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas (January 29, 2025). "Former Federal Prosecutor Named U.S. Attorney for Southern District". www.justice.gov. Archived from the original on 2025-12-20. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  5. ^ U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas (May 28, 2025). "Court Appoints Ganjei as U.S. Attorney". www.justice.gov. Retrieved February 6, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ "Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)". Truth Social. Archived from the original on 2025-11-13. Retrieved 2025-11-13.
  7. ^ "PN655-2 - Nomination of Nicholas Jon Ganjei for The Judiciary, 119th Congress (2025-2026)". www.congress.gov. November 18, 2025.
  8. ^ "Time Change: Nominations | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary". www.judiciary.senate.gov. Archived from the original on 2025-12-13. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
  9. ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting" (PDF). United States Senate Judiciary Commitee. December 11, 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2025-12-24. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
  10. ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Nicholas Jon Ganjei to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Texas)". February 3, 2026. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  11. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Nicholas Jon Ganjei, of Texas, to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Texas)". February 3, 2026. Archived from the original on February 4, 2026. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  12. ^ "Ganjei, Nicholas Jon | Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
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