LAFAYETTE– Alexander C. Van Hook has been sworn in as a U.S. District Court Judge for the Western District of Louisiana.
Van Hook was confirmed by the United States Senate and was sworn in by U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter. He began his service on the bench on January 13.
The Western District encompasses most of Louisiana with the exception of the Baton Rouge and New Orleans areas; it stretches from North Louisiana, including Shreveport and Monroe, down to the Gulf.
A release from the current U.S. Attorney for the Western District, Zachary A. Keller, describes "a long and impactful tenure as a prosecutor and supervisor in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana."
“Alec’s impact on the Office as a manager was profound and lasting, but people will remember him most as a prosecutor’s prosecutor and a lawyer’s lawyer—as someone who exemplifies the qualities that our society demands of its leaders in the criminal justice system,” Keller said. “I have no doubt that Alec will carry his deep experience and the wisdom he’s gained into this new role in public service, continuing the work of achieving justice for our Louisiana community.”
Van Hook served in a variety of leadership positions in his 26+ years at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Those roles including his leading the office as Acting U.S. Attorney during three separate timespans: from March 2017 to April 2018, from August 2020 to December 2021, and finally from January 2025 through September 2025. Van Hook also served as the Office’s Deputy Criminal Chief, First Assistant United States Attorney, and Special Counsel to the United States Attorney, as well as a line prosecutor who prosecuted and tried cases for many years.
Van Hook graduated from Centenary College of Louisiana in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and from Louisiana State University Law School in 1997. After law school, Van Hook served as a law clerk for United States District Court Judge Tom Stagg in the Western District of Louisiana and then for Judge Henry A. Politz in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals before joining the Office in 1999.
Van Hook, 55, was nominated by President Trump on October 21, 2025, and the United States Senate confirmed his nomination on January 8, 2026.
