The U.S. Senate confirmed Nicholas Ganjei to be a U.S. district judge for the Southern District of Texas in Houston Tuesday. He succeeds retired Judge Lynn H. Hughes.
U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz recommended Ganjei to President Donald Trump.
“Texas deserves highly qualified individuals who will uphold our nation’s principles in the courtroom, and Nick is exactly that,” Sen. Cornyn said in a news release. “I was proud to vote to confirm Nick as a District Judge for the Southern District of Texas in Houston.”
Ganjei has been serving as the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas since January 2025.
“Congratulations to Nicholas Ganjei, my former Chief Counsel and now the new District Judge for the Southern District of Texas,” Sen. Cruz said in a news release. “Nick has been on the front lines of federal law enforcement as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas and as my Chief Counsel, he oversaw vital initiatives on criminal justice, border security, judicial nominations, antitrust issues, intellectual property, and religious liberty. I am confident he will continue his tireless work in service of the American people and in faithful adherence to the Constitution.”
Ganjei joined the Department of Justice in 2008 as an assistant U.S. attorney on the U.S.-Mexico border. As an AUSA, Ganjei prosecuted organized crime, immigration, narcotics and human trafficking cases, as well as fraud, public corruption and white collar matters.
Before joining the DOJ, Ganjei clerked for Judges Richard Allen Griffin and Ralph R. Erickson of the 6th and 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. Ganjei has also taught civil, criminal and constitutional law at both the collegiate and law school levels.
Most recently, Ganjei was chief counsel to Sen. Cruz and the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, where he oversaw all legal matters related to criminal justice, border security, judicial nominations, antitrust, intellectual property and religious liberty.
He earned his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.