The Hon. Earnest E. Brown, Jr. is a judge for the 11th West Judicial Circuit Court in Arkansas. He was elected to the bench on May 20, 2008, and re-elected in 2014 and 2020.
The 11th West Judicial Circuit includes Jefferson County and Lincoln County.
Prior to his election, Brown was the managing partner at Brown & McKissic. During his tenure there, he handled criminal defense, domestic relations, personal injury, wrongful death, probate, business, and real estate matters. He supplemented his practice by teaching in the Criminal Justice Department at the University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff.
Brown earned a bachelor’s degree in public administration from the University of Arkansas in 1991. He then completed a J.D. at the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1994.
After graduating from law school, Brown began his legal career as a deputy prosecuting attorney for the 11th West Judicial District. Shortly after, he entered into private practice, working as a partner at Cross, Kearney & McKissic.
His memberships have included the Board of Directors of Leadership Pine Bluff (1998 to 2001), the Pine Bluff Chamber of Commerce, and the Arkansas Pygmalion Commission on Nontraditional Education. He is also a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and he sits on the Specialty Court Committee, the Nominating Committee, the Legislative Committee, the Juvenile Committee, and the Education Committee of the Arkansas Judicial Council.
He is a recipient of the Juvenile Judge of the Year Award by the Arkansas State Court Appointed Advocates (2011) and the Thalheimer Award from the Pine Bluff Branch of the NAACP.
Raised in Fulton, Arkansas, Brown graduated from public school in Hope. His father worked with the railroads, and his mother was a bank teller. Brown and his wife, Tina, have three children. The family attends Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Pine Bluff.
A registered Democrat, Brown served as a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives, where he represented legislative district 16 in Pine Bluff. In that capacity, he held assignments on the Judiciary Committee, the State Agencies & Government Affairs Committee, and the Joint Public Retirement & Social Security Programs Committee. He was also the Secretary of the Arkansas Legislative Black Caucus.