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About Judge Charles Brown
Judge Charles W. Brown
combines the knowledge and common sense of his “life before
the law” with his broad legal experience, training and
education.
An enrolled member of
the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Charlie is the first
American Indian to serve as District Court Judge in
Bernalillo County. Although his great grandfather was a
light horseman and later a Choctaw District Court Judge and
Appellate Court Judge, Charlie was raised in the blue collar
world.
Charlie’s father
worked in the oilfields of Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and
Louisiana, so the family moved often. Charlie attended nine
different schools before he graduated high school. He
learned the importance of attitude, adaptability and
performance.
After being honorably
discharged from the United States Marine Corps, he learned
that many of the skills of a rifleman didn’t transfer to the
civilian world. He also learned that commitment,
determination and hard work transfer to every world.
He returned to his
roots in the oilfield and worked as a roustabout. He then
attended Haskell Indian Junior College, a Bureau of Indian
Affairs boarding school, to learn a skilled trade, welding.
After welding in the oilfields of south Louisiana, being in
the Boilermakers Union in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and doing general
welding in Kansas. He took his father’s advice to, “Get one
of those jobs where you take a shower before you go to work,
instead of one where you have to take one when you get off
work.”
Charlie chose to continue
his education, with the goal of becoming a lawyer. He
earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities from Baker
University, a Liberal Arts School in Baldwin City, Kansas.
Although Charlie had a bachelor’s degree, he returned to
welding to support his family, a wife and two children,
while he applied to law schools. He was welding as an
Ironworkers Union member in Grandview, Missouri, when he was
selected to be one of the few out-of-state residents allowed
to attend the University Of New Mexico School Of Law.
Charlie’s choice to
pursue a legal career was a result of seeing how the law
affected and protected individuals. He had seen true
struggles for civil rights, women’s rights, Indian rights,
and environmental protection. His only experience with
criminal law was bailing friends out of jail and explaining
to police officers, “Really, my name is Charlie
Brown!”
When not working or
volunteering, Charlie enjoys being with his wonderful wife,
Marlinda Aragon Brown, his children and grandchildren. He
enjoys being in New Mexico’s great outdoors, especially
fishing. He is proud of the welding machine his wife gave
him and enjoys welding for fun and playing with the family’s
two boxers.
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