[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 132 (Tuesday, December 5, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2069]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING FEDERAL JUDGE PAUL BROWN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RALPH M. HALL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 5, 2006

  Mr. HALL. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to one of the 
outstanding Federal judges in our Nation, U.S. District Judge Paul 
Brown, who is retiring after 21 years of distinguished service on the 
bench in the Eastern District of Texas. Judge Brown has been my good 
friend for many years, and he is a respected and beloved Judge and 
member of the community in Sherman, Texas.
  Judge Brown represents the finest qualities of jurisprudence. Hanging 
on his wall in the Sherman Federal Courthouse are Socrates' four 
qualities for a good judge--to hear courteously, to answer wisely, to 
consider soberly, and to decide impartially. Judge Brown embodied all 
of these qualities, and he dispensed justice accordingly. He was highly 
regarded, well-respected, and was a role model for many.
  Paul Brown was the youngest of a family of six raised on a farm near 
Pottsboro, TX. He graduated from Denison High School and although 
underage, he got his parents' consent to join the U.S. Navy when World 
War II broke out. He served as a minesweeper in both the Atlantic and 
Pacific Theaters and as a part of the occupation forces in Japan. He 
was discharged as an Electrician's Mate 2nd Class in June 1946.
  He returned to his studies and received a law degree in 1950 from the 
University of Texas before being recalled to active duty in the Korean 
war. He saw combat aboard a minesweeper which was sunk by mines, and he 
received an honorable discharge in December 1951.
  Judge Brown began his practice of law following the war and following 
President Dwight Eisenhower's election, he went to work as an assistant 
U.S. Attorney in Texarkana under U.S. Attorney William Steger, who 
would become his mentor, good friend, and fellow colleague on the bench 
in the Eastern District until Judge Steger's passing this year. He 
served as Assistant U.S. Attorney from 1953 to 1959, then followed in 
Judge Steger's footsteps as U.S. District Attorney from 1959 to 1961.
  While in Texarkana, Judge met and married Frances Morehead, and the 
two returned home to Sherman, where Judge Brown practiced law for a 
number of years. In 1985 Senator Phil Graham recommended him to 
President Ronald Reagan for a new judge's position created for the 
Eastern District of Texas, and Judge was confirmed that year. He held 
court in Beaumont, Paris, Sherman, and Texarkana, and as the caseload 
in Sherman grew, he eventually presided over the Sherman courthouse 
exclusively.
  Premiere cases over the years included intellectual property, patent 
cases, and criminal cases precipitated by the bank and savings and loan 
failures of the 1980s and 1990s. In recent years he noted the increase 
in drug cases and expressed his regret that, in spite of all the 
efforts that have been made to prosecute drug dealers, the Nation is 
not making much progress in curtailing the use of drugs. No matter what 
type of cases came before him, Judge Brown always enjoyed the work and 
ran an efficient and orderly courtroom. His personal work ethic and 
judicial integrity have been remarkable, and his reputation for 
punctuality has been legendary.

  At his retirement reception, hundreds of local attorneys, area judges 
and friends and family paid tribute to Judge Brown. The Eastern 
District Chief Judge, Thad Heartfield, speaking for the 15 judges on 
their court, has recommended that Congress name the U.S. District 
Courthouse in Sherman the ``Paul Brown U.S. Courthouse.'' Judge 
Heartfield noted that Judge Brown has demonstrated the finest qualities 
of a U.S. district judge: knowledge of the law, courtesy, patience, 
wisdom and compassion. It will be my pleasure to introduce legislation 
to that end.
  As we near adjournment of the 109th Congress, I ask my colleagues to 
join me in celebrating the life of a great American, outstanding public 
servant, and respected jurist, the Honorable Paul Brown, U.S. District 
Judge for the Eastern District of Texas.

                          ____________________