Judge Jeff Brown has served as the United States District Judge on Galveston Island since 2019. He previously served 18 years as a state court judge: six years each on the Supreme Court of Texas, on the Fourteenth Court of Appeals, and as judge of the 55th District Court.

A sixth-generation Texan, Judge Brown was born and raised in Dallas County. He earned a B.A. in English at the University of Texas—where he met his wife in a Shakespeare class—and his law degree, magna cum laude, at the University of Houston. He then clerked on the Texas Supreme Court—for Justices Jack Hightower, a Democrat, and Greg Abbott, a Republican—before practicing at Baker Botts in Houston. He is just the fourth Texas Supreme Court law clerk to return to the Court as a justice.

In 2006, the Texas Young Lawyers Association named Judge Brown the Outstanding Young Lawyer of Texas. The Texas Association of Civil Trial & Appellate Specialists named him Appellate Judge of the Year in 2010 and Trial Judge of the Year in 2022. He also received two judge-of-the-year awards as a state trial judge. He is co-editor of the Texas Rules of Evidence Handbook and board-certified in civil trial law.

While serving on the court of appeals, Judge Brown also volunteered weekly as a judge for Harris County's STAR Drug Court. STAR ("Success Through Addiction Recovery") is a treatment court for non-violent felony offenders who are recovering from drug addiction.

While on the Supreme Court of Texas, Judge Brown co-founded and co-chaired the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health. As the Court’s liaison to the Texas Board of Law Examiners, he oversaw Texas’ adoption of the Uniform Bar Exam.

A member of the American Law Institute, ABOTA, the Maritime Law Association, and the Knights of Momus Mardi Gras Krewe. Judge Brown also serves on the boards of the Houston Law Review and the UH Law Foundation, as president of the Galveston County Bar Association, and treasurer of the Galveston Artillery Club. He has taught trial skills at the University of Houston, constitutional law at the National Judicial College, and comparative law at St. Mary’s School of Law’s Institute on World Legal Problems in Innsbruck, Austria. He is the federal-court liaison to both the State Bar of Texas board of directors and the State Bar’s Litigation Council.

In 2016, Judge Brown received the Outstanding Eagle Scout Award from the National Eagle Scout Association. In 2023, the Boy Scouts’ Bay Area Council honored him with the Golden Eagle Distinguished Citizen Award.

Judge Brown and his wife, Susannah, live with their dog, Chester, in a historic home on Galveston Island. They are both active Rotarians and attend First Presbyterian Church. They have three grown children—a Girl Scout Gold Award recipient and two Eagle Scouts.