Jeff Brown
Republican | Texas
Candidate Profile
Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Jeff Brown
Party
Republican
Election Year
2014
Election
General
Race
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 6
Incumbent
Yes
Links
EDUCATION
University of Houston Law Center, Houston, Texas, Doctor of Jurisprudence with high honors, 1995
University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, B.A. in English, minor in history, 1992
WORK & MILITARY
Texas Supreme Court, Justice, 2013-present
14th Court of Appeals, Justice, 2007-2013
55th District Court, Judge, 2001-2007
Baker Botts LLP, Lawyer, 1996-2001
AFFILIATIONS
Texas Alliance for Life, Member of Leadership Circle, LifeHouse of Houston (Christian maternity home)
Member of Advisory Board, Bellaire United Methodist Church, Member of Board of Trustees
Boy Scouts of America, Various volunteer leadership positions, Christian Community Service Center
Former member of Board of Directors, Texas Supreme Court Historical Society, Treasurer; member of Board of Trustees
Federalist Society, Longtime member, Texas Right to Life
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Justice, 14th Court of Appeals, 2007-2013
Judge, 55th District Court, 2001-2007
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Texas Supreme Court, Pl. 3, 2010
Race
Previous Races
ENDORSEMENTS
CONSERVATIVE (5)
Cathie Adams
Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
Texas Alliance for Life PAC
Texas Right to Life
Young Conservatives of Texas
OTHER (3)
John Cornyn
Perry, Rick
Texas Civil Justice League
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (8)
Governor Rick Perry
Texas Right to Life PAC
Cathie Adams
President of Texas Eagle Forum
Tim Lambert
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (7)
Greg Abbott
Local, County, and District Republican Organizations
National Right to Life Committee
Republican Women's Organizations
State Republican Party Organizations
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (19)
Bass Family PACs
Conservative Coalition of Harris County
David M. Sibley, Sr.
DFW Conservative Voters
Empower Texans
LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (3)
Carlos Uresti
Local, County, and District Democratic Organizations
Ron Reynolds
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (2)
International Union of Police Associations
Mostyn Law Firm
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
1. Election of judges by the people for a definite term of office is the best way to select judges.
Strongly Agree
2. The U.S. Constitution is a living document and should be interpreted according to the circumstances of each generation.
Strongly Disagree
3. Foreign laws should be used in American courts even where those laws conflict with constitutional rights.
Strongly Disagree
4. Free enterprise and the right to private property turn mankind's natural self interest into the fairest and most productive economic system there is, and are the key to national prosperity.
Strongly Agree
5. Which current Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court best reflects your judicial philosophy?
Antonin Scalia
6. Which U.S. president elected to that office in 1960 or thereafter best reflects your political philosophy?
Ronald Reagan
7. Which U.S. Supreme Court decision do you think has most impacted society? Please explain your answer.
I believe Roe v. Wade has most impacted society, and it's done so in several ways. It of course legalized abortion, which has led to the killing of countless innocent babies in the last 41 years. But it also has made Americans more callous toward life at all stages. I believe euthanasia and assisted suicide are more widely accepted because of Roe v. Wade. And it also made more Americans look to the Supreme Court for guidance on what the Constitution means rather than simply looking to the Constitution itself. It has had a far-reaching and disastrous impact on American society.
8. Based on the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, please arrange the following entities, starting with the highest source of authority, and continue the list in descending order of authority, skipping any that do not apply: Academia, Congress, Constitution, God, Industry, Media, Professional Sports, Supreme Court, Voters.
God, Constitution, Voters, Congress, Supreme Court
9. What in the nature of mankind caused America’s Founders to carefully define, separate, and limit powers within the Constitution?
Man's innate depravity caused America's Founders to define, separate, and limit powers within the Constitution. As James Madison said, "If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary."
10. Please give an example of a judicial decision where strict constructionist policy was violated. Explain.
Roe v. Wade is again the best example. The Court declared a right of privacy that is nowhere to be found in the text of the Constitution. As Justice Byron White said in his dissenting opinion in Roe, "I find nothing in the language or history of the Constitution to support the Court's judgment. The Court simply fashions and announces a new constitutional right. . . . As an exercise of raw judicial power, the Court perhaps has authority to do what it does today; but, in my view, its judgment is an improvident and extravagant exercise of the power of judicial review that the Constitution extends to this Court."
11. What is the proper use of legislative history in interpreting statutory law?
In almost every instance, the text of the statute itself provides all that is necessary to interpret a statute. Legislative history need not and should not be consulted. The text of the statute shows the legislative intent.
12. What specific text in the Declaration of Independence provides the critical basis for individual rights and the form of government guaranteed in the United States Constitution?
Individual rights are a gift of God, not government, and governmental power is only just when it is based on the consent of the people: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. . . ."
13. Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, who died for my sins and is my personal Lord and Savior. My spiritual beliefs, which come from Holy Scripture, are listed in the Apostles' Creed. The Ten Commandments guide my behavior. My values can be summed up as duty to God and Country, devotion to family, and respect for the rule of law.
