Properly functioning courts are an essential element of a free society governed by the rule of law. A sound judiciary requires judges who honestly and impartially apply the law, as written. Texans are fortunate to have an excellent state Supreme Court—the best in the country, in my estimation. I recently wrote an article in National Review, entitled “In Texas, a State Supreme Court Maintains Integrity, Despite Politics,” explaining my high regard for the Court, and referring to Justice Jeff Brown as a “conservative stalwart.” Justice Brown is the antithesis of a judicial activist; he is a disciplined textualist who honestly applies the law.

I endorse Justice Brown for re-election, not only because he is a great judge, but because he is an exemplary person. Sometimes judges are criticized as being out-of-touch elitists. Not Justice Brown. The Texas native has an All-American resume.  The son of a police officer, Justice Brown earned the Eagle Scout award at age 16 and has continued to be active in Scouting as an adult, accompanying his son’s troop to Philmont. A sixth-generation Texan, he was educated in the Lone Star State—at the University of Texas for his undergraduate degree, and at the University of Houston Law Center, where he graduated with high honors and served as an editor on the law review.

Nor is Justice Brown an Ivory Tower appellate judge. His legal experience includes clerking for Greg Abbott when our Governor served on the Texas Supreme Court, practicing law as a litigator with the prestigious firm Baker & Botts, earning a certification in civil trial law, serving as a trial court judge in Harris County, and spending six years on the 14th Court of Appeals in Houston before being appointed to the Supreme Court by Governor Rick Perry in 2013.  The famed originalist, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, swore him in.

Consistently named one of the highest-rated jurists in Texas, Justice Brown is also remarkably down-to-earth. He is a proud father, a devoted husband, a country music fan, and someone who enjoys an occasional craft beer. Justice Brown drives his Toyota Camry (the “Camry of Justice 2.0,” the predecessor having given up the ghost) all over Texas speaking to various groups.

Justice Jeff Brown is a superb judge who deserves your vote in November. I endorse him enthusiastically and without reservation.

This is a commentary submitted and published with the author’s permission. If you wish to submit a commentary to the Texas Scorecard, please submit your article to submission@empowertexans.com.

Mark Pulliam

Mark Pulliam is a retired lawyer and a UT alumnus. He has written for publications including National Review, The Federalist, and the Wall Street Journal.

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