Brown County Judge Alan “Shane” Britton has agreed to resign following his indictment for practicing law while serving as a judge, witness tampering, assaulting a public servant, and other charges.
The resignation agreement allows Britton to avoid disciplinary action, but he is forever banned from judicial service in Texas.
Background
As previously reported, Britton was suspended without pay in November 2025 by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct (SCJC), which is responsible for investigating allegations of this kind.
The suspension came just days after a grand jury indicted Britton for the aforementioned charges. He was reportedly arrested on November 24, 2025, and booked into the Brown County Jail in Brownwood, before being released on bail after posting bonds totaling nearly $30,000.
Judge Britton is accused of practicing in Brown County as a licensed lawyer in December 2023 while also serving as county judge, a violation of state law.
The SCJC was first notified of the allegations against Britton when it received complaints in April and June of 2024, alleging that he used the prestige of his office “to protect defendants whom he represented as a licensed attorney in divorce cases from criminal warrants in his court.”
Before his indictment in November 2025, the commission received another complaint that Britton was representing his wife as a licensed attorney in their divorce case in Brown County.
His 2025 suspension also cited allegations that he tried to help a suspect avoid arrest by persuading a victim not to testify and instead sign an affidavit of non-prosecution. Britton allegedly concealed an arrest warrant rather than signing it as his judicial duties required. In a separate incident, Britton allegedly struck the Brown County assistant attorney in the head while she was conducting plea negotiations with defense counsel.
The Agreement
On October 21, Britton signed an agreement with the SCJC, officially and formally resigning his judicial duties.
This agreement resolved the complaints in lieu of further disciplinary action by the commission. While Britton’s criminal case was resolved through a plea bargain on October 13, the SCJC investigation remained ongoing.
Both parties desired to resolve the matter without the time and expense of further disciplinary proceedings. As part of the agreement, the SCJC committed to pursuing no further disciplinary action against Britton.
The agreement also barred Britton from any future judicial service.
“IT IS FURTHER AGREED that, upon the Commission’s approval of this Agreement, Judge Britton shall be forever disqualified from judicial service in the State of Texas, including: (a) sitting or serving as a judge, (b) standing for election or appointment to a judicial office, and/or (c) performing or exercising any judicial duties or functions of a judicial officer, including the performance of wedding ceremonies,” reads the agreement.
Ken Wise, interim chair for the SCJC, signed the agreement to make it official on October 27.
Judge Britton had already lost his bid for re-election in the March 2026 Republican primary. He was defeated by Tom Munson, who is running unopposed in the November 3 General Election. Because the position of Brown County judge was vacant due to Britton’s suspension, county commissioners appointed Munson to serve as acting county judge in June.
Munson will serve in this capacity until December 31. On January 1, 2027, he will be sworn in as county judge for a four-year term.
The SCJC reached a similar resignation agreement with another judge just last week. Judge Donald Puckett resigned to avoid further disciplinary action following his arrest for requiring a clerk to take a mandatory judicial training course in his place.
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