Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton today congratulated Deputy First Assistant Attorney General Brantley Starr, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in Dallas. President Trump nominated Starr to the federal bench in March.

“Brantley Starr is a brilliant attorney and a dedicated public servant, but above all he is a man of exceptional judgment and character.  Brantley and I have worked side by side on many of the most complex and important legal challenges facing our state, and I have observed his dedication to the rule of law and his fidelity to the Constitution first hand,” Attorney General Paxton said. “As a federal judge, Brantley will continue to serve the people of Texas from the bench with the same integrity, dedication, and intellect he has been known for throughout his career.”

Starr is a native of Abilene and attended Abilene Christian University. After graduating from the University of Texas School of Law, he clerked for Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett.  After his clerkship, he served this office as an assistant solicitor general under Ted Cruz. Starr went on to practice commercial and appellate litigation at King & Spalding, L.L.P., before returning to public service as staff attorney to Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman. He returned to the Texas attorney general’s office in 2015 as deputy attorney general for legal counsel (primarily supervising the Opinion Committee and the other transactional divisions) before his promotion to deputy first assistant attorney general (where he also oversees the office’s civil and criminal litigation).

Starr represents President Trump’s eighth confirmed nomination to a court involving a former or current staffer of the Texas attorney general’s office:

--Former Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett, James Ho, Kyle Duncan and Andrew Oldham were confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.

--Former Texas Deputy Solicitor General Cam Barker was confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Tyler in May.

--Former Texas Deputy First Assistant Attorney General David Morales was confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in April.

--Former Texas Deputy Solicitor General Sean Jordan was confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Plano last night.