James Oren Browning (born April 6, 1956) is an American attorney serving as a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the

United States District Court for the District of New Mexico The United States District Court for the District of New Mexico (in case citations, D.N.M.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the state of New Mexico. Court is held in Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Las Vegas, Roswell, Santa ...

Early life and education

Browning was born in Levelland, Texas, and grew up in

Hobbs, New Mexico Hobbs is a city in Lea County, New Mexico, Lea County, New Mexico, United States. Its population was 40,508 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, increasing from 34,122 in 2010. Hobbs is the principal city of the Hobbs, New Mexico microp ...

. He received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in political science from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

in 1978, graduating ''

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

''. While at Yale, Browning played varsity football. He then earned a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the

University of Virginia Law School The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law or UVA Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as part of his "academical v ...

in 1981. In law school, he was Editor in Chief of the ''

Virginia Law Review The ''Virginia Law Review'' is a law review edited and published by students at University of Virginia School of Law. It was established on March 15, 1913, and permanently organized later that year. The stated objective of the ''Virginia Law Revi ...

.'' He is a member of the Raven Society and the

Order of the Coif The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. The name is a reference to the ancient English order of advocates, the serjeants-at-law, whose courtroom attire included a coif—a white lawn or silk skullcap, whi ...

Career

After law school, Browning served as a law clerk for Judge Collins J. Seitz on the

United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (in case citations, 3d Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts: * District of Delaware * District of New Jersey * Ea ...

from 1981 to 1982 and then clerked for Justice

Lewis F. Powell Jr. Lewis Franklin Powell Jr. (September 19, 1907 – August 25, 1998) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1972 to 1987. Born in Suffolk, Virginia, he graduat ...

of the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

from 1982 to 1983. After finishing his judicial clerkships, Browning returned to New Mexico and began working at the law firm Rodey, Dickason, Sloan, Akin, & Robb. He was a deputy attorney general of the New Mexico Department of Justice from 1987 to 1988. Afterward, he returned to private practice at Rodey, Dickason, Sloan, Akin, & Robb. In 1990, he formed his own law firm, Browning & Peifier, P.A. He continued to practice at Browning & Peifer until his appointment to the federal bench in 2003.

Federal judicial service

Browing was nominated by President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

on April 28, 2003, to be a United States District Judge of the

,Senate Committee on the Judiciary: S. Hrg. 108-135, Pt. 3
Confirmation Hearing On Federal Appointments
, July 9, 2003 to a seat vacated by

Curtis LeRoy Hansen Curtis LeRoy Hansen (born April 18, 1933) is an inactive Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico. Education and career Hansen was born in Audubon County, Iowa. He received a Bache ...

. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on July 31, 2003, and received commission on August 1, 2003.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Browning, James O. 1956 births Judges of the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico Law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States Living people United States district court judges appointed by George W. Bush 21st-century American judges People from Levelland, Texas Yale University alumni University of Virginia School of Law alumni

Early life and education

Career

Federal judicial service

See also

References

External links