The top federal prosecutor in North Texas will leave her post on Jan. 19 — the day before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.
U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton will resign from the Department of Justice after two years on the job, her office announced in a press release Thursday.
Simonton first began her career with the office as a summer intern after her first year of law school, she said in a statement. She became an Assistant U.S. Attorney when she was nine months pregnant with her first child, who is now 20 years old.
President Joe Biden nominated Simonton on Nov. 14, 2022, and she was unanimously confirmed as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas by the U.S. Senate on Dec. 6, 2022.
"I cannot put into words what this experience has meant to me, and I leave with two decades of incredible memories," Simonton said. "There is nothing more important than the work of our outstanding women and men in this office and in North Texas law enforcement, and I will be forever grateful to have been a part of it.”
A spokesperson said Simonton was not available for comment.
The office did not give a specific reason for Simonton's departure, but most U.S. Attorneys step down before a new administration takes office. Simonton could have chosen to stay in her position but likely would have been replaced for the Trump administration's own pick.
Simonton supervised a number of high-profile trials, including the prosecution of Dr. Raynaldo Ortiz, an anesthesiologist convicted of injecting heart-stopping drugs into patient IV bags. Ortiz was sentenced to 190 years in prison last month.
Her office prosecuted 11 people who were charged in relation to the fentanyl-related deaths of four Carrollton-area middle and high schoolers. Ten more were injured.
Simonton also oversaw the progress of the domestic violence case U.S. v. Rahimi, which made its way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. The high court ruled a North Texas man could constitutionally be stripped of his gun via a civil protective order after he allegedly assaulted his ex-girlfriend.
She said she plans to reenter private practice and continue advocating for victims of domestic violence and young people harmed by fentanyl.
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