Brantley Starr

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Brantley Starr
Image of Brantley Starr

Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
Tenure

2019 - Present

Years in position

5

Education

Bachelor's

Abilene Christian University, 2001

Law

University of Texas School of Law, 2004

Personal
Birthplace
San Antonio, Texas

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Brantley Starr is a judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. On March 11, 2019, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Starr to this court. The U.S. Senate confirmed Starr on July 31, 2019, on a 51-39 vote.[1] He received commission on August 6, 2019.[2] To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas is one of 94 U.S. district courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.

Starr was the deputy first assistant attorney general of Texas from 2016 to 2019.[3]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas

See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

On March 8, 2019, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Starr to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.[4] The U.S. Senate officially received the nomination on March 11, 2019, and confirmed Starr on July 31, 2019, on a 51-39 vote.[1] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Nomination Tracker
Fedbadgesmall.png
Nominee Information
Name: Brantley Starr
Court: United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
Progress
Confirmed 142 days after nomination.
ApprovedANominated: March 11, 2019
ApprovedAABA Rating: Majority qualified/minority not qualified
Questionnaire: Questionnaire
ApprovedAHearing: April 10, 2019
QFRs: QFRs (Hover over QFRs to read more)
ApprovedAReported: May 9, 2019 
ApprovedAConfirmed: July 31, 2019
ApprovedAVote: 51-39


Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Starr on July 31, 2019, on a vote of 51-39.[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Starr confirmation vote (July 31, 2019)
Party Yea Nay No vote
Electiondot.png Democratic 0 38 7
Ends.png Republican 51 0 2
Grey.png Independent 0 1 1
Total 51 39 10
Change in Senate rules
See also:
Filibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress
Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
United States federal courts

Starr was confirmed to a U.S. District Court under a new precedent the Senate established in 2019.

On April 3, 2019, the U.S. Senate voted 51-48 in favor of a change to chamber precedent lowering the maximum time allowed for debate on executive nominees to posts below the Cabinet level and on nominees to district court judgeships from 30 hours after invoking cloture to two.[5]

The change was passed under a procedure, often referred to as the nuclear option, that requires 51 votes rather than 60.[6]

It was the third use of the nuclear option in Senate history. In 2013, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold to confirm presidential nominees, except those to the Supreme Court. In 2017, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold required to confirm Supreme Court nominees.[7] For more, see Filibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress.


Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Starr's nomination on April 10, 2019.[8] Starr was reported to the full Senate on May 9, 2019, on a 12-10 committee vote.[9]

Nomination

On March 8, 2019, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Starr to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.[4] The Senate officially received Starr's nomination on March 11, 2019.[1] Starr was nominated to succeed Judge Sidney Fitzwater, who assumed senior status on September 22, 2018.

Sens. Ted Cruz (R) and John Cornyn (R) of Texas recommended Starr to the president. In a statement following the nomination of Starr and Jeff Brown, Cruz said, "I was happy to recommend Brantley and Jeff to the president. Both of these individuals bring to the bench careers marked with excellence, professionalism, and a commitment to the rule of law. I commend President Trump for these nominations and urge my colleagues to swiftly confirm them to the bench."[10]

The American Bar Association rated Starr qualified by a majority and not qualified by a minority.[11] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Early life and education

Starr was born in San Antonio, Texas, in 1979. He obtained a B.A., summa cum laude, from Abilene Christian University in 2001 and a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 2004.[3][4]

Professional career

Awards and associations

Awards

  • 2007: Best brief award, National Association of Attorneys General[3]

Associations

  • 2005-present: The Federalist Society
  • 2004-present: Texas Review of Law & Politics
    • 2010-present: Chair/co-chair, Steering Committee
    • 2004-present: Board of directors[3]

Noteworthy events

Federal judges sign letter regarding hiring Columbia University students (2024)

On May 6, 2024, Starr and 12 other federal judges signed a letter to Columbia University saying they would not hire undergraduates or law students from the university, beginning with the entering class of 2024.[12]

In the letter, the judges said, "As judges who hire law clerks every year to serve in the federal judiciary, we have lost confidence in Columbia as an institution of higher education."[13]

They signed the letter in the context of student demonstrations at Columbia University over the Israel-Hamas War. The students who participated in the demonstrations demanded that the university divest all of its finances from "companies and institutions that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide and occupation in Palestine."[14]

The judges said they believed the university should institute consequences for faculty and students who participated in the demonstrations. They also called on the university to practice "neutrality and nondiscrimination in the protection of freedom of speech" and "viewpoint diversity on the faculty and across the administration."[13]

The Washington Post reported that Dean of Columbia Law School Gillian Lester said in a statement that graduates are "consistently sought out by leading employers in the private and public sectors, including the judiciary." Lester did not directly address the letter.[12]


About the court

Northern District of Texas
Fifth Circuit
Great seal of the United States.png
Judgeships
Posts: 12
Judges: 11
Vacancies: 1
Judges
Chief: David Godbey
Active judges: Jane Boyle, Ada Brown, David Godbey, James Wesley Hendrix, Matthew J. Kacsmaryk, James Kinkeade, Sam Lindsay, Reed O'Connor, Mark Pittman, Karen Gren Scholer, Brantley Starr

Senior judges:
Sam Cummings, A. Joe Fish, Sidney Fitzwater, Barbara Lynn, Robert Maloney, Terry Means


The United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas is one of 94 United States district courts. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit based in downtown New Orleans at the John Minor Wisdom Federal Courthouse.

The Northern District of Texas has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The Northern District of Texas has jurisdiction over 100 counties in the Northern and Central parts of the state of Texas. There are seven court divisions. The court's headquarters are in Dallas with divisions in Fort Worth, Amarillo, Abilene, Lubbock, San Angelo, and Wichita Falls.

To read opinions published by this court, click here.

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

  • The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
  • The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
  • The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.
  • As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.
  • After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.
  • If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
  • If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.
  • The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.
  • If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
  • If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Congress.gov, "PN512 — Brantley Starr — The Judiciary," accessed April 16, 2019
  2. ↑ Federal Judicial Center, "Starr, Brantley David," accessed August 7, 2019
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Questionnaire for judicial nominees: Brantley David Starr," accessed April 10, 2019
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 The White House, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees," March 8, 2019
  5. ↑ The Hill, "GOP triggers 'nuclear option' to speed up Trump picks," April 3, 2019
  6. ↑ Axios, "Senate GOP invokes 'nuclear option' to speed up confirmations of Trump nominees," April 3, 2019
  7. ↑ NBC News, "McConnell to use 'nuclear option' to confirm lower-level nominees," April 2, 2019
  8. ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Nominations," April 10, 2019
  9. ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Results of the Executive Business Meeting," May 9, 2019
  10. ↑ Texas GOP Vote, "Sens. Cruz, Cornyn on Nominations of Brown and Starr as U.S. District Judges in Galveston, Dallas," March 11, 2019
  11. ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III and Article IV judicial nominees," accessed May 20, 2019
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 The Washington Post, "Conservative judges say they will boycott Columbia University students," May 7, 2024
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 The Washington Post, "Letter to Columbia University," May 6, 2024
  14. ↑ Columbia University Apartheid Divest, "Demands," accessed May 14, 2024

Political offices
Preceded by
- 		United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
2019-Present		 Succeeded by
-


Texas courts

Federal courts:

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas

State courts:

Texas Supreme Court • Texas Court of Appeals • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals • Texas District Courts • Texas County Courts • Texas County Courts at Law • Texas Statutory Probate Courts • Texas Justice of the Peace Courts

State resources:

Courts in Texas • Texas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Texas

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