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Appointment of United States District Judge Nicholas J. Ganjei, Houston Division

Federal Judicial Service:

Judge, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
Nominated by Donald J. Trump on January 5, 2026, to a seat vacated by Lynn Nettleton Hughes. Confirmed by the Senate on February 3, 2026, and received commission on March 10, 2026. Judge Ganjei was administered the oath of office by U.S. Circuit Judge James Ho on March 12, 2026.

Education:

American University, B.A., 2000
University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, J.D., 2005

Professional Career:

Law clerk, Hon. Ralph R. Erickson, U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota, 2005-2007
Adjunct Professor, University of North Dakota School of Law, 2007
Law Clerk, Hon. Richard Allen Griffin, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, 2007-2008
Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of New Mexico, 2008-2020
Adjunct Professor and Lecturer, University of New Mexico, 2012-2018
Counsel, Office of Legal Policy, U.S. Department of Justice (on detail), 2018-2019
Assistant U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of Texas, 2020-2022; First Assistant U.S. Attorney, 2020-2021; Acting U.S. Attorney, 2021
Chief Counsel, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, 2022-2025
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, 2025-2026