Brown County Judge Alan “Shane” Britton has been suspended without pay following his indictment for practicing law while serving as a judge, witness tampering, and assaulting a public servant—among other charges.
Texas’ State Commission on Judicial Conduct, which is responsible for investigating allegations of this kind, issued the order of suspension against the judge on November 25.
“Having considered the Indictment(s), the Commission concluded that Judge Britton is charged with Abuse of Official Capacity, a Class A Misdemeanor, Hindering Apprehension or Prosecution, a Class A Misdemeanor, Tampering with a Government Document, a 3rd Degree Felony, Assault [of a] Public Servant, a 3rd Degree Felony, and Tampering with a Witness, Family Violence Case, a 3rd Degree Felony,” reads the suspension.
The commission determined that Judge Britton should be suspended without pay from his judicial office.
Background
These charges result from a variety of incidents over the past few years.
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.
In Texas, county judges have both administrative and judicial duties.
Britton is also accused of judicial misconduct for his handling of a family violence case in January 2024. He allegedly helped a suspect avoid arrest by failing to sign an arrest warrant, concealing it, and allowing it to remain unsigned. Signing such warrants is part of his official duties as county judge.
In the same family violence case, Britton allegedly tried to persuade a victim not to provide testimony, and to instead sign an affidavit of non-prosecution, which would delay arrest warrants.
Britton is also accused of intentionally striking the Brown County assistant attorney in the head in March 2024 while she was performing her official duties, namely conducting plea negotiations with defense counsel.
Prosecution
These events led to the State of Texas vs. Alan Shane Britton, in which the State charged Judge Britton with the aforementioned charges in the 35th District Court in Brown County. He was subsequently indicted by a grand jury on November 20.
Britton was reportedly arrested on November 24 and booked into the Brown County Jail in Brownwood. He was released on bail after posting bonds totaling nearly $30,000.
The State Commission on Judicial Conduct reportedly received notice of Judge Britton’s indictment on November 24 and suspended him without pay on November 25.
Such a suspension is common when a state judge is indicted for a felony or charged with a misdemeanor involving the judge’s official position. The commission “may vote to suspend the judge from office, with or without pay, pending the disposition of the charge.”
The suspension will remain in effect until the charges set forth in the indictment are dismissed, Judge Britton is acquitted of all charges in the indictment, or upon further orders of the commission.
In the event of a suspension under these circumstances, the judge may request a hearing before the commission.
Judge Britton’s term in office is set to expire on December 31, 2026. He is being challenged in the March 3 Republican Primary election by Patrick Howard.
Frank Griffin is reportedly temporarily filling in for Britton’s judicial duties during his suspension. Griffin is a retired judge of the Brown County Court-at-Law.
The State’s criminal litigation against Judge Britton remains ongoing.
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