He interrupted his practice during World War II to serve in the U.S. Army as a legal clerk from 1943 to 1946.

In 1964, Brown was elected to the Sixth District Court of Appeals, and was re-elected in 1970.

He ran for seats on the Ohio Supreme Court as a Democrat in 1966, 1974, and 1978, losing each time.

He finally defeated David Dudley Dowd, Jr. in 1980, and was seated January 2, 1981, for a six-year term.

[1] Brown turned seventy in 1986, and was barred by Ohio age limits from seeking another term.