Memphis, TN - Kevin G. Ritz was sworn in Sept. 28, 2022, as United States Attorney for the
Western District of Tennessee. In a brief ceremony at the federal courthouse in Memphis, Chief
U.S. District Court Judge S. Thomas Anderson administered the oath of office, in front of
Ritz’s family and U.S. Attorney’s Office colleagues. Ritz was nominated by President Joe Biden on
July 29, 2022, and he was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on Sept. 22, 2022.
As United States Attorney, Kevin is the chief federal law enforcement officer in West Tennessee.
Ritz stated: “It is an honor to lead the office where I have worked for 17 years. I’ve dedicated
my career to serving the United States, and I can’t wait to start this next chapter. I want to
thank President Biden for nominating me, the Senate for confirming me, and Congressman Cohen for
recommending me for this position."
“I look forward to working with my colleagues and our partners to promote and defend the interests
of our country throughout the 22 counties of West Tennessee. We have a lot of work to do, and I’m
ready to get going."
Kevin G. Ritz is a Memphian who has dedicated his entire career to federal public service. He has
been an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western
District of Tennessee since 2005. He started in the narcotics unit prosecuting drug, firearm,
robbery, carjacking, and other offenses. He later held various leadership positions in the office,
including serving as Appellate Chief and Special Counsel for over a decade. He has written more
than 200 appellate briefs and argued 37 cases in the federal courts of appeals.
Ritz has twice served on the Department of Justice’s Appellate Chiefs Working Group. From 2020 to
2021, he was the Chair of the Tennessee Bar Association’s Appellate Practice Section, and in 2017
Ritz was the President of the Federal Bar Association’s Memphis Chapter. From 2008 to 2016, Ritz
was an Adjunct Professor at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.
Before his tenure in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Ritz clerked for Judge Julia S. Gibbons of the
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Between college and law school, Mr. Ritz
worked for the United States Department of State.
Mr. Ritz received his J.D. from the University of Virginia, his M.S. in Foreign Service from
Georgetown University, and his B.A. with High Distinction from the University of Virginia, where he
was a Jefferson Scholar. He is a product of Memphis City Schools and graduated from White Station
High School. He and his family live in midtown Memphis.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
