Alia Moses

Alia Moses
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
Incumbent
Assumed office November 18, 2022
Preceded by	Orlando Luis Garcia
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
Incumbent
Assumed office November 15, 2002
Appointed by	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Harry Lee Hudspeth
Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
In office 1997–2002
Personal details
Born	(1962-01-06) January 6, 1962 (age 62) Eagle Pass, Texas, U.S.
Education	Texas Woman's University (BBA) University of Texas at Austin (JD)

Alia Moses (born January 6, 1962),^[1] formerly known as Alia Moses Ludlum, is the chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.

Early life and education

Born in Eagle Pass, Texas, Moses graduated in 1983 from Texas Woman's University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting, and in 1986 from the University of Texas School of Law with a Juris Doctor.^[2]

Career

Following law school graduation, Moses was an attorney in the Travis County Attorney's Office in Austin, Texas from 1986 to 1990. She was an assistant United States attorney and chief of the Del Rio office in the Western District of Texas from 1990 to 1997. She worked as a part-time mediator in private practice from 1997 to 2000.

Federal judicial service

Moses began her federal judicial career as a United States magistrate judge when she was appointed to a four-year part-term in 1997. In 2000, she was promoted to a full-term magistrate judge.^[2]

On the recommendation of Texas Senators Phil Gramm and Kay Bailey Hutchison, Moses was nominated by President George W. Bush on July 11, 2002, to the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. Her seat was previously held by Harry Lee Hudspeth, who then went into senior status. Moses was confirmed by the United States Senate on November 14, 2002, and received her commission the next day. Moses was appointed to the court under the name of Alia Moses Ludlum. Moses became chief judge on November 18, 2022, when her predecessor Orlando Luis Garcia turned 70 years old.^[2]

Notable case

On October 30, 2023, Moses ordered Border Patrol agents to stop removing concertina wire installed by the government of Texas with the purpose of deterring migrants.^[3]

See also

• List of Hispanic and Latino American jurists
• List of first women lawyers and judges in Texas

References

1. Confirmation Hearings on Federal Appointments: Hearings Before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, One Hundred Seventh Congress, First Session. U.S. Government Printing Office. 2003.
2. Alia Moses at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
3. García, Uriel J. (October 30, 2023). "Federal judge orders immigration agents to stop removing Texas' concertina wire on the border". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved October 31, 2023.

Sources

• Alia Moses at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

Legal offices
Preceded by Harry Lee Hudspeth	Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas 2002–present	Incumbent
Preceded by Orlando Luis Garcia	Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas 2022–present