Former Candidate for Texas Attorney General Aaron Reitz was sworn in as the new United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas on Thursday night in Houston. As he took the oath before the U.S. District Judge Nicholas Grnjei, Reitz became the district’s chief federal law enforcement officer in one of the largest and busiest federal prosecutor’s offices in the country.
Reitz announced that his office will tackle violent crime, illegal immigration, drug and human trafficking, corruption, and fraud. “We will faithfully uphold the rule of law and protect the public. Things are about to get very bad for criminals in the Southern District of Texas,” the newly appointed U.S. Attorney stated.
Headquartered in Houston, the Southern District of Texas serves 10 million people across the southeastern border area of the state. It covers six additional divisions in addition to its headquarters, including Galveston, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen, Victoria, and Laredo. The Southern Judicial District of Texas is one of the busiest US Attorney’s offices, driven by a high volume of immigration, drug-related, and bankruptcy cases. According to John Ferguson, halfway through 2025, the Southern District handled about 30% of Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases for companies with more than $100 million in liabilities.
Reitz, a Texas A&M graduate and UT Law Alum, previously practiced at Hance Scarborough, a firm in Austin involved in regulatory and public policy law. His prior roles include head of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Policy, chief of staff to U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, and Deputy Attorney General for legal strategy under Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. A Marine Corps veteran, Reitz was deployed to Afghanistan during his active duty and is a Major in the Marine Corps Reserve.
Ken Paxton congratulated Reitz on his new appointment, calling him “an invaluable asset” and “I thank him for his strong leadership, which was key to our success in defending our constitutional values and system of government.”
Reitz’s record and commitment signal a tough approach to crime and border-related offenses in one of the country’s busiest federal districts.