 | |
| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | July 1, 1902 |
| Jurisdiction | Southern District of Texas |
| Headquarters | Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Department executives |
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| Parent Department | United States Department of Justice |
| Website |
justice |
| Map | |
 Southern District of Texas | |
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas is the chief federal law enforcement officer in forty-three Texas counties. Established on July 1, 1902, the office represents the United States government in criminal and civil cases across the country. The SDTX handles a broad array of cases, including but not limited to those involving white collar crime, domestic terrorism, cybercrime, public corruption, organized crime, as well as civil rights disputes.
The current United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas is Alamdar S. Hamdani. On October 14, 2022, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Hamdani to be the United States attorney for the Southern District of Texas. On November 14, 2022, his nomination was sent to the United States Senate. [1] On December 1, 2022, his nomination was reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee by voice vote. [2] On December 6, 2022, his nomination was confirmed in the Senate by voice vote. [3] He was sworn in by District Judge Randy Crane on December 12, 2022. [4] He is the first Asian American and Pacific Islander to serve as a U.S. Attorney in the state of Texas. [5] Hamdani was recommended to the post by Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz. [6]
Organization
The office typically prosecutes more cases against more defendants than every other United States Attorney's Office nationwide, representing forty-three counties, ten million people and covering 44,000 square miles. The Southern District of Texas currently comprises seven divisions with federal district courts in Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo. The SDTX, headquartered in Houston, has branch offices in Galveston, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen, Laredo and Victoria to staff all seven divisions. The office employs approximately 200 assistant U.S. attorneys. [7]
The jurisdiction of the Southern District of Texas is divided as follows:
- The Brownsville Division covers Cameron and Willacy Counties.
- The Corpus Christi Division covers Aransas, Bee, Brooks, Duval, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Live Oak, Nueces, and San Patricio Counties.
- The Galveston Division covers Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston, and Matagorda Counties.
- The Houston Division covers Austin, Brazos, Colorado, Fayette, Fort Bend, Grimes, Harris, Madison, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Walker, Waller, and Wharton Counties.
- The Laredo Division covers Jim Hogg, La Salle, McMullen, Webb, and Zapata Counties.
- The McAllen Division covers Hidalgo and Starr Counties.
- The Victoria Division covers Calhoun, DeWitt, Goliad, Jackson, Lavaca, Refugio, and Victoria Counties.
List of U.S. attorneys
In 1857, congress created the Eastern and Western District of Texas. Texas continued to grow, and in 1879, congress formed the Northern District. As the railroads continued to expand and fuel the Texas economy, congress created the Southern District on July 1, 1902. [8]
- Marcus C. McLemore (1902-1906)
- Lodowick McDaniel (1906-1914)
- John Edward Green Jr. (1914-1919)
- David Edward Simmons (1919-1922)
- Henry Matthews Holden (1922-1934)
- Douglas Wear McGregor (1934-1944)
- Brian Sylvester Odem (1944-1954)
-
Malcolm Richard Wilkey (1954-1957)
- William B. Butler (1957-1961)
-
Woodrow Bradley Seals (1961-1966)
- Morton Lee Susman (1966-1969)
- Anthony Perez Farris (1969-1974)
- Edward B. McDonough Jr. (1974-1977)
- Jose Antonio Canales (1977-1980)
- Daniel Kuldell Hedges (1981-1985)
- Henry K. Oncken (1985-1990)
- Ronald G. Woods (1990-1993)
-
Gaynelle Griffin Jones (1993-1997)
- Mervyn Milton Mosbacker (1999-2001)
- Michael T. Shelby (2001-2005)
- Donald J. DeGabrielle (2006-2008)
-
Kenneth Magidson (2011-2017)
-
Ryan Patrick (2018-2021)
-
Alamdar S. Hamdani (2022-present)
See also
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- Courts of Texas
- List of current United States district judges
- List of United States federal courthouses in Texas
References
- ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. November 14, 2022.
- ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – December 1, 2022" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ "PN2696 — Alamdar S. Hamdani — Department of Justice". uscongress.gov. December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
- ^ "Alamdar S. Hamdani to serve as SDTX United States Attorney". United States Department of Justice. December 12, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
- ^ "President Biden names two UH Law Center alumni as U.S. Attorneys in Texas". www.law.uh.edu. October 19, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
- ^ "Cornyn Statement on Nominations of U.S. Attorneys for Texas Districts" (Press release). October 17, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
- ^ Organization and Operation, U.S. Attorney's Office
- ^ "The History of the District". www.justice.gov. March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.