Jeff Brown (Texas)
2019 - Present
6
Jeffrey Vincent Brown is a judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. On March 11, 2019, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Brown to this court. The U.S. Senate confirmed Brown on July 31, 2019, on a 50-40 vote.[1] He received commission on September 4, 2019.[2] To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas is one of 94 U.S. district courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.
Brown was a Republican Place 6 judge of the Texas Supreme Court from 2013 to 2019. To learn more about the vacancy caused by his resignation, click here. Prior to his service on the Texas Supreme Court, Brown served as an appellate judge for Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals from 2007 to 2013 and as a district judge for Texas' 55th District Court from 2001 to 2007.[3] Click here for more information on Brown's career.
Judicial nominations, appointments, and elections
United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas (2019-present)
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
On March 8, 2019, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Brown to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.[4] The U.S. Senate officially received the nomination on March 11, 2019, and confirmed Brown on July 31, 2019, on a 50-40 vote.[1] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.
Nominee Information |
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Name: Jeffrey Vincent Brown |
Court: United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas |
Progress |
Confirmed 142 days after nomination. |
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Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
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QFRs: QFRs (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
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Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Brown on July 31, 2019, on a vote of 50-40.[1] Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, was the only Republican to vote against Brown's nomination. To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.
Brown confirmation vote (July 31, 2019) | |||||||||
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Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
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0 | 38 | 7 | ||||||
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50 | 1 | 2 | ||||||
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0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Total | 50 | 40 | 10 |
Change in Senate rules
Brown was confirmed to a U.S. District Court under a new precedent the Senate established in 2019.
On April 3, 2019, the U.S. Senate voted 51-48 in favor of a change to chamber precedent lowering the maximum time allowed for debate on executive nominees to posts below the Cabinet level and on nominees to district court judgeships from 30 hours after invoking cloture to two.[5]
The change was passed under a procedure, often referred to as the nuclear option, that requires 51 votes rather than 60.[6]
It was the third use of the nuclear option in Senate history. In 2013, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold to confirm presidential nominees, except those to the Supreme Court. In 2017, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold required to confirm Supreme Court nominees.[7] For more, see Filibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress.
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Brown's nomination on April 10, 2019.[8] Brown was reported to the full Senate on May 9, 2019, on a 12-10 committee vote.[9]
Nomination
On March 8, 2019, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Brown to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.[4] The U.S. Senate officially received the nomination on March 11, 2019. Brown was nominated to succeed Judge Melinda Harmon, who assumed senior status on March 31, 2018.[1]
Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) said of the nomination of Brown and Brantley Starr, "I have had the privilege to work with both Jeff and Brantley and have witnessed firsthand their sharp legal minds and commitment to the Constitution and the rule of law. I look forward to the Senate confirming their nominations."[10]
The American Bar Association unanimously rated Brown well qualified for the position.[11] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
Texas Supreme Court (2013-2019)
- See also: Judges appointed by Rick Perry
Governor Rick Perry (R) appointed Brown to the Texas Supreme Court on September 26, 2013, to fill the seat of Nathan Hecht, who was elevated to chief justice.[12][13] Brown was elected to the court on November 4, 2014, and re-elected on November 6, 2018.
2018 election
- See also: Texas Supreme Court elections, 2018
General election
General election for Texas Supreme Court Place 6
Incumbent Jeff Brown defeated Kathy Cheng in the general election for Texas Supreme Court Place 6 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Jeff Brown (R) | 53.7 | 4,404,602 |
![]() | Kathy Cheng (D) | 46.3 | 3,796,001 |
Total votes: 8,200,603 | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 6
Kathy Cheng advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 6 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | ||
✔ | ![]() | Kathy Cheng |
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 6
Incumbent Jeff Brown advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 6 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | ||
✔ | ![]() | Jeff Brown |
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2014 election
- See also: Texas judicial elections, 2014
Brown ran for re-election to the Texas Supreme Court.
Primary: He was successful in the Republican primary on March 4, 2014, receiving 71.9 percent of the vote. He competed against Joe Pool, Jr.
General: Brown defeated Lawrence Meyers (Democratic) and Mark Ash (Libertarian) in the general election on November 4, 2014, receiving 60.3 percent of the vote.[14][15][16]
Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals (2007-2013)
- See also: Judges appointed by Rick Perry
Gov. Rick Perry (R) appointed Brown to the Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals in 2007. Brown won election to the seat in 2008 and was re-elected in 2012. In 2013, Brown became interim chief justice of the court.[19]
2012 election
- See also: Texas judicial elections, 2012
Brown ran for re-election to the 14th District Court of Appeals. He defeated judicial candidate Jim Wrotenbery in the general election on November 6, 2012, with 54.2 percent of the vote.[20][21][22]
Texas 55th District Court (2001-2007)
- See also: Judges appointed by Rick Perry
Gov. Rick Perry (R) appointed Brown to the 55th District Court in Harris County in 2001. Brown was elected to the court in 2002. He was re-elected in 2006.[19]
Early life and education
Brown was born in 1970 in Dallas, Texas. He received his bachelor's degree in English from the University of Texas at Austin in 1992 and his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Houston Law Center in 1995. During his legal studies, Brown was an editor on the Houston Law Review.[3][4][23]
Professional career
- 2019-present: Judge, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- 2013-2019: Justice, Texas Supreme Court - Appointed by Gov. Rick Perry (R)
- 2007-2013: Judge, Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals - Appointed by Gov. Perry
- 2001-2007: Judge, 55th District Court in Harris County - Appointed by Gov. Perry
- 1996-2001: Associate, Baker Botts LLP
- 1994-1996: Briefing attorney, Texas Supreme Court[3][23]
Awards and associations
Awards
- 2016: Rosewood Gavel Award, St. Mary's University School of Law
- 2016: Outstanding Eagle Scout Award, National Eagle Scout Association
- 2011: Appellate Judge of the Year, Texas Association of Civil Trial & Appellate Specialists
- 2008: Five Outstanding Young Texans, Texas Jaycees
- 2006: Outstanding Young Lawyer of Texas, Texas Young Lawyers Association
Associations
- Member, American Law Institute
- Member, The Federalist Society
- Judicial liaison, Houston Young Lawyers Association
- Chairman, HYLA’s Non-Profit Law Committee
- Co-chairman, Houston Bar Association’s John J. Eikenburg Law Week Fun Run
- Vice chairman, TYLA’s National Trial Competition
Brown has served on the boards of directors for the following:
- The Texas Lyceum
- The Houston Law Review
- The Advocate (the quarterly state journal of the State Bar of Texas' Litigation Section)
- The University of Houston Law Alumni Association
- The Texas Supreme Court Historical Society
- The Texas Center for the Judiciary
- The Christian Community Service Center
- The Texas Historical Foundation
About the court
Southern District of Texas |
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Fifth Circuit |
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Judgeships |
Posts: 19 |
Judges: 14 |
Vacancies: 5 |
Judges |
Chief: Randy Crane |
Active judges: Alfred Bennett, Jeff Brown, Randy Crane, Keith Ellison, Charles R. Eskridge III, Marina Garcia Marmolejo, George Hanks, John Kazen, David Morales, Rolando Olvera, Nelva Gonzales Ramos, Fernando Rodriguez Jr., Diana Saldana, Drew Barnett Tipton Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas is one of 94 United States district courts. The court's headquarters are in Houston and has six additional offices in the district. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit based in downtown New Orleans at the John Minor Wisdom Federal Courthouse.
The Southern District of Texas has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
The Southern District of Texas consists of seven court divisions, each covering the following counties:
- The Corpus Christi Division, covering Aransas, Bee, Brooks, Duval, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Live Oak, Nueces, and San Patricio counties.
- The Houston Division covers Austin, Brazos, Colorado, Fayette, Fort Bend, Grimes, Harris, Madison, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Walker, Waller, and Wharton counties.
- The Victoria Division, covering Calhoun, DeWitt, Goliad, Jackson, Lavaca, Refugio, and Victoria counties.
The court's headquarters are in Houston, with six additional offices in the district.
To read opinions published by this court, click here.
The federal nomination process
Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:
- The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
- The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.
- As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.
- After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.
- If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
- If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.
- The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.
- If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
- If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.
See also
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit
- Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
- Profile from the Texas Supreme Court website
- Supreme Court of Texas website
- Justice Jeff Brown for Supreme Court of Texas campaign website
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Congress.gov, "PN510 — Jeffrey Vincent Brown — The Judiciary," accessed April 10, 2019
- ↑ Federal Judicial Center, "Brown, Jeffrey Vincent," accessed September 6, 2019
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Questionnaire for judicial nominees: Jeffrey Vincent Brown," accessed April 10, 2019
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The White House, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees," March 8, 2019
- ↑ The Hill, "GOP triggers 'nuclear option' to speed up Trump picks," April 3, 2019
- ↑ Axios, "Senate GOP invokes 'nuclear option' to speed up confirmations of Trump nominees," April 3, 2019
- ↑ NBC News, "McConnell to use 'nuclear option' to confirm lower-level nominees," April 2, 2019
- ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Nominations," April 10, 2019
- ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Results of the Executive Business Meeting," May 9, 2019
- ↑ Texas Tribune, "Trump to nominate Texas Supreme Court Justice Jeff Brown to the federal bench," March 8, 2019
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III and Article IV judicial nominees," accessed May 20, 2019
- ↑ Statesman.com, "Perry names Houston justice to Supreme Court," September 26, 2013
- ↑ Office of the Governor, "Gov. Perry Appoints Brown to Supreme Court of Texas," September 26, 2013
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2014 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County (A-L)"
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2014 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County (M-Z)"
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Republican Party Primary Election, Unofficial Results," November 4, 2014
- ↑ State Bar of Texas "Judicial Poll results," 2014
- ↑ Justice Jeff Brown for Supreme Court of Texas, "Endorsements," accessed August 21, 2014
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Texas Judicial Branch, "Justice Jeff Brown," accessed February 1, 2019
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "General Election Summary," 2012 Select "2012 General Election"
- ↑ Texas Republican Party, "Candidate Filing," 2012
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "General Election Results-Texas," 2012
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Fourteenth Court of Appeals, "Official biography of Justice Brown," accessed August 21, 2014
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by - |
United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas 2019-Present |
Succeeded by - |
Preceded by - |
Texas Supreme Court Place 6 2013-2019 |
Succeeded by - |
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2025 |
Whitney Hermandorfer • Joshua Divine • Cristian M. Stevens • Zachary Bluestone • Emil Bove |
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State resources:
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