Jeff Brown (judge)

Jeffrey V. "Jeff" Brown
Texas Supreme Court Justice, Place 6
Assumed office
October 3, 2013
Preceded by Nathan L. Hecht (became Chief Justice)
Judge of the Texas Court of Appeals for the 14th District
In office
2007 – October 3, 2013
Judge of the 55th Judicial District in Harris County
In office
c. 2002 – 2007
Personal details
Born 1970 (age 45–46)
Nationality American
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Susannah Brown
Children Kathleen, Rob, and Gus Brown
Residence Houston, Texas
Education Bishop Lynch High School
Alma mater University of Texas
University of Houston Law Center
Occupation Attorney; Judge
Religion United Methodist

Jeffrey V. Brown, known as Jeff Brown (born 1970), is a justice of the Texas Supreme Court. He has held the Place 6 seat on the court since October 3, 2013, under appointment from Governor Rick Perry.[1] He succeeded Justice Nathan L. Hecht after Hecht's appointment to chief justice to replace Wallace B. Jefferson, who resigned.


Early life and education

Brown's father was a police officer.[2] He is an Eagle Scout. In 1988, Justice Brown graduated from Bishop Lynch High School in Dallas, Texas. He earned his bachelor's degree in English from the University of Texas and his law degree with high honors from the University of Houston Law Center, where he served as one of the editors of the Houston Law Review. He served as a law clerk to Texas Supreme Court Justices Jack Hightower and Greg Abbott.[1] He became certified in civil trial law and practiced with the Houston firm of Baker Botts L.L.P.[3]

Judicial career

From 2007 to 2013, he was a justice on Houston's 14th Court of Appeals. Prior to that, he was the judge of the 55th Texas State District Court.

Brown ran unsuccessfully for the Place 3 position on the Texas Supreme Court in the 2010 Republican primary. He finished in fifth place with 188,238 votes (16.8 percent). However, he trailed the leading vote-getter, Rick Green, by over 24,000 votes. Five of the six candidates ran within close range of the others; therefore, Brown's fifth place was a comparatively strong showing.[4]

Though the Supreme Court term to which was appointed technically runs through 2018, Brown must stand for special election in 2014 to keep the position.[3] He claims to hold a "conservative judicial philosophy".[2]In the Republican primary election held on March 4, 2014, Brown defeated an intraparty challenge from Joe Richard Pool, Jr., son of the late U.S. Representative Joe R. Pool, Sr., who in the 1960s held Texas' 3rd congressional district seat. Brown received 820,582 votes (71.9 percent) to Pool's 320,558 (28.1 percent).[5]

In the November 4, general election, Brown defeated the Republican-turned-Democrat Lawrence E. Meyers (born 1947) of Fort Worth. Brown polled 2,772,056 votes (60.3 percent) to Meyers's 1,677,341 (36.5 percent). Another 146,511 votes (3.2 percent) went to the Libertarian Party nominee, Mark Ash.[6]Meyers has been a judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals since 1993; his current term ends in 2016. Meyers has been the only Democrat in a statewide office in Texas since December 2013, when he switched parties. Columnist Ken Herman attributed Meyers's defeat largely to his party switch. Meyers said his party bolt was motivated by the influence of the Tea Party movement on the Texas GOP.[7]

Personal life

Brown and his wife, Susannah, a schoolteacher, have three children, Kathleen, Rob, and Gus Brown. They reside in Kyle south of Austin.

References

  1. 1 2 "Gov. Perry Appoints Brown to Supreme Court of Texas". Office of the Governor Rick Perry. September 26, 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  2. 1 2 "About Jeff". Justice Jeff Brown campaign website. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Justice Jeff Brown". The Supreme Court of Texas. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  4. ↑ "2010 Republican primary election returns". sos.state.tx.us. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Democratic and Republican primary election returns, March 4, 2014". enr.sos.state.tx.us. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  6. ↑ "General election returns, November 4, 2014". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  7. ↑ Ken Herman, "Same guy, different party, loses", Laredo Morning Times, December 16, 2014, p. 4A
Political offices
Preceded by
Nathan L. Hecht		 Texas Supreme Court Justice,
Place 6
2013–present 		Incumbent
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