Introduction
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 Artsin history from the University of Texas at Austin in 1997 and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 2001.
Career
Simonton served as a law clerk for Judge Barbara M. Lynn of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas from 2001 to 2002 and for Judge Patrick Higginbotham of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit from 2002 to 2003. From 2003 to 2005, she was an associate at Haynes and Boone in their Dallas, Texas, office. From 2005 to 2022, she served as an assistant United States attorney 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. 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 on December 10, 2022.