Sens. Cruz, Cornyn on Nominations of Brown and Starr as U.S. District Judges in Galveston, Dallas

U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and I released the following statements after President Trump nominated Jeff Brown to fill a judicial vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Galveston, and Brantley Starr to fill a judicial vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in Dallas.:

I was happy to recommend Brantley and Jeff to the president. Both of these individuals bring to the bench careers marked with excellence, professionalism, and a commitment to the rule of law. I commend President Trump for these nominations and urge my colleagues to swiftly confirm them to the bench.

“Both Justice Brown and Brantley Starr have served Texans faithfully on the Texas Supreme Court and in the Attorney General’s office,” said Sen. Cornyn.  “I know they’ll continue to serve their fellow Texans well from the federal bench, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to confirm them swiftly.”

We recommended this nominee to President Trump following an extensive review and interview process of the candidate pool by the bipartisan Federal Judicial Evaluation Committee (FJEC).  Sen. Cornyn and I established the FJEC, a bipartisan panel of leading attorneys in Texas, to help identify the most qualified candidates to fill judicial vacancies. The panel reviewed applications, interviewed candidates, and made recommendations to Sen. Cornyn and I. We interviewed individuals before making our recommendations to the President. 

Jeffrey Vincent Brown of Texas is a Justice on the Supreme Court of Texas, where he has served since 2013.  Before joining the Supreme Court of Texas, he served as a justice on Texas’ Fourteenth Court of Appeals and as a judge on the State’s 55th District Court.  Previously, Justice Brown was an attorney in private practice.  After graduating from law school, Justice Brown clerked for Justices Jack Tower and Greg Abbott of the Supreme Court of Texas.  Justice Brown received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Houston Law Center, where he was an Editor on the Houston Law Review. He received his B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin. 

Brantley Starr of Texas is the Deputy First Assistant Attorney General of Texas. In that capacity, he oversees nearly two dozen divisions of the Office of the Attorney General of Texas.  He previously served in a variety of positions in Texas State government, including as Deputy Attorney General for Legal Counsel, Assistant Solicitor General, Assistant Attorney General, and Staff Attorney to Supreme Court of Texas Justice Eva Guzman.  Early in his legal career, Mr. Starr clerked for Justice Don Willett of the Supreme Court of Texas.  Mr. Starr received his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law and his B.A, summa cum laude, from Abilene Christian University.