U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei has announced he will resign as chief law enforcement officer for the Southern District of Texas effective upon his appointment to the federal bench, according to a news release.

Ganjei was responsible for prosecuting and defending the interests of the United States in the Southern District of Texas. The district stretches across 43 counties, covering 44,000 square miles and has more than nine million residents, according to the news release.

Ganjei is now set to begin his tenure as a judge in the Houston Division of the Southern District. The United States Senate confirmed Ganjei's appointment as a judge last month. 

“The American people provided our office with a mandate to secure the border, annihilate the drug trade, and crack down on violent crime in their communities—and every day the men and women of SDTX work tirelessly to deliver on that commitment. In the past year we’ve accomplished more than we ever thought possible, but there’s still no time to rest,” Ganjei said in a statement. “Ensuring that the Southern District of Texas is a safe place to live, work, and raise a family is more than just a job, it’s a promise we’ve made to our fellow citizens. In meeting this challenge, I could not have asked for greater colleagues, greater law enforcement partners, or greater support from our Southern District communities. Although I will now be hanging up my spurs as an advocate, I look forward to serving the American people in a new capacity.”

Since his appointment in January 2025, the district has prioritized border security and immigration enforcement, the aggressive prosecution of violent crime, and the dismantling of transnational criminal organizations, particularly narco-terrorists, according to the news release.

Under Ganjei, the Southern District of Texas has been a national leader in the prosecution of narcoterrorist gangs and cartels. The district also launched several innovated, 'first of its kind' initiatives to address longstanding and persistent criminal threats.

The news release said those initiatives included Operation Lighthouse, an effort to combat sexual assault of rideshare passengers, and Operation Pick-Off, which targets criminal undocumented migrants who are currently serving terms of probation following convictions for state crimes, such as murder, drug offenses, human smuggling, fraud, burglary, assault, and other crimes.

Ganjei is a longtime federal prosecutor who previously served as Acting U.S. Attorney and First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, according to the news release.