Biography

Brown was born in Houston, Texas

Houston, Texas

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...

 on June 30, 1941, received a B.A. in 1963 from the University of the South (Sewanee), magna cum laude, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Justice Brown received his M.A. in English and Comparative Literature in 1965 from Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

, and a J.D. in 1968 from the University of Virginia

University of Virginia

The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...

. He was admitted to the Bar of Arkansas in 1968. Before serving on the court, he was engaged in the general practice of law. He also was a deputy prosecuting attorney for the Sixth Judicial District in 1971 and 1972, worked in Washington, D.C. as administrative assistant for Congressman Jim Guy Tucker

Jim Guy Tucker

James "Jim" Guy Tucker, Jr. is an Arkansas political figure. He served as the 43rd Governor of Arkansas, the 11th Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas, Arkansas Attorney General, and U.S. Representative...

 in 1977 and 1978. He was legal aide to then Governor Dale Bumpers

Dale Bumpers

Dale Leon Bumpers is an American politician who served as the 38th Governor of Arkansas from 1971 to 1975; and then in the United States Senate from 1975 until his retirement in January 1999. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Senator Bumpers is currently counsel at the Washington, D.C...

from 1972 to 1974, and served as a legislative assistant for him from 1975–77, after Bumper's election as Senator. Brown has served as Associate Justice on the Arkansas Supreme Court since 1991.

Significant Opinions

Among his most significant opinions are those striking down term limits for United States Senators and Representatives, U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Hill, 316 Ark. 251, 872 S.W.2d 349 (1994), which was affirmed by the United States Supreme Court in 1995, and his 2002 opinion holding public school funding for the State of Arkansas unconstitutional, Lake View Sch. Dist. No. 25 v. Huckabee, 351 Ark. 31, 91 S.W.3d 472 (2002), and the subsequent cases enforcing the decision.

Legal Scholarship and Literary Works

Brown is the author of a number of articles including

• "Toxic Judicial Elections: A Proposed Remedy", Arkansas Lawyer, Winter 2009;
• "Live Video of U.S. and State Supreme Court Oral Arguments: Is it Just a Matter of Time?'", The Journal of Appellate Practice and Process, Spring 2007;
• "From Earl Warren to Wendell Griffen: A Study of Judicial Intimidation and Judicial Self-Restraint", UALR Law Review (2005);
• "Expanded Rights Through State Law: The United States Supreme Court Shows State Courts the Way", The Journal of Appellate Practice and Process, Fall 2002;
• "From Whence Cometh Our State Appellate Judges: Popular Election Versus the Missouri Plan", UALR Law Journal, Winter 1998;

He also wrote The Second Crisis in Little Rock: A Report on Desegregation Within the Little Rock Public Schools" (Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, Publisher, June 1988), and Defining Moments: Historic Decisions by Arkansas Governors from McMath through Huckabee, published by the University of Arkansas Press in 2010,

Professional activities and awards

He is court liaison to the Arkansas Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program, the Civil Practice Committee, and the Board of Law Examiners. From 2002 to 2004, he served on the Board of the Arkansas Judicial Council.

He was the recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of the South (Sewanee) in 2006, the Col. Ransick Award for Excellence in the Profession from the Arkansas Bar Association in 2007, and the Community Support Award from the Arkansas Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program in 2010.
He served on the Board of Regents of the University of the South (Sewanee) from 1989 to 1995 and as president of the Overton Inn of Court from 1999 to 2000. He currently serves on the Selection Committee for the Winthrop Rockefeller Distinguished Lecture Series, and the Selection Committee for the Jefferson Scholars nominations for the University of Virginia