Alia Moses

Alia Moses
Name	Alia Moses
Birth date	1962
Birth place	Brownsville, Texas
Alma mater	Texas A&M University–Kingsville; University of Texas School of Law
Occupation	Judge; Attorney
Known for	United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas

Alia Moses Alia Moses is a United States district judge who serves on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. She has presided over high-profile civil and criminal matters, handled complex antitrust litigation and intellectual property disputes, and contributed to federal judicial administration. Moses's career spans private practice, public service as a United States Attorney, and a lifetime appointment to the federal bench.

Early life and education

Born in Brownsville, Texas, Moses grew up in the Rio Grande Valley region near the United States–Mexico border. She attended Texas A&M University–Kingsville (then Texas A&I University), where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, and proceeded to the University of Texas School of Law for her Juris Doctor. During her studies she engaged with regional institutions such as Texas Southmost College, interacted with legal clinics tied to the University of Texas at Austin, and observed proceedings at the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas courthouse in Brownsville, Texas. Her early influences included exposure to issues affecting residents of Cameron County, Texas, proximity to cross-border commerce linked to Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and contact with practitioners from firms in Houston, Texas and San Antonio, Texas.

Legal career

Moses entered private practice as an associate with firms handling civil litigation tied to bankruptcy law and securities litigation, representing clients in venues including the Southern District of Texas and state courts in Hidalgo County, Texas. She served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of Texas and later as the United States Attorney for the Southern District, supervising enforcement efforts that involved collaborations with agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Moses handled prosecutions under statutes like the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, participated in task forces with the Department of Justice, and led initiatives interfacing with the United States Marshals Service and the Executive Office for United States Attorneys.

In private practice she represented clients in matters before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, engaged with transactional work tied to Port of Brownsville commerce, and advised stakeholders in cross-border trade involving Customs and Border Protection concerns. Her career includes appearances in federal venues such as the Northern District of Texas, dealings with regulatory agencies including the Securities and Exchange Commission, and pro bono service connected to the American Bar Association and the Hispanic National Bar Association.

Federal judicial service

Nominated by the President and confirmed by the United States Senate, Moses received her commission to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, filling a vacancy on the federal bench in the Southern District. As a district judge she has overseen civil rights claims invoking statutes adjudicated under precedents from the Supreme Court of the United States, applied standards articulated by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and managed multidistrict litigation processes guided by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. Her chambers interact with clerks who have clerked for judges from the Fifth Circuit, externs from the University of Texas School of Law, and visiting attorneys from firms in Dallas, Texas, Austin, Texas, and Corpus Christi, Texas.

She has served on committees of the Federal Judicial Center addressing judicial education, participated in panels at the American Law Institute, and contributed to rulemaking dialogues involving the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure as interpreted by the United States Supreme Court and circuit precedent from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Notable cases and rulings

Moses has issued rulings in a range of matters, including high-profile criminal trials prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas and civil disputes involving corporations subject to oversight by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission. She has presided over cases implicating immigration law statutes adjudicated in contexts with parties from Mexico and other Latin America nations, securities class actions referencing filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and intellectual property disputes with filings in the United States Patent and Trademark Office appealed to federal court.

Her opinions have cited precedent from the Supreme Court of the United States, interpreted Fifth Circuit authority such as decisions from judges on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and applied statutory frameworks from Congress that involve enforcement by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Matters included complex discovery disputes governed by rules informed by the Southern District of New York practice and comparative procedure influenced by decisions from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

Awards and memberships

Moses has been recognized by professional organizations including the Texas Bar Association, the Hispanic National Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, and regional bar associations in Cameron County, Texas and Hidalgo County, Texas. She has received honors from civic groups in Brownsville, Texas and the Rio Grande Valley, participated in conferences hosted by the American Bar Association, and engaged with educational outreach at institutions such as Texas A&M University–Kingsville and the University of Texas School of Law. Moses is a member of judicial and legal bodies including the Federal Judicial Center programs, the American Law Institute, and the Federal Bar Association.

Category:Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas Category:People from Brownsville, Texas Category:University of Texas School of Law alumni