Born in Orange, New Jersey, Brown received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lafayette College in 1965 and a Juris Doctor from Duke University School of Law in 1968.

He was a law clerk to Vincent S. Haneman of the Supreme Court of New Jersey from 1968 to 1969.

He left private practice in 1981 to be Chief Counsel for the United States Government Printing Office.

He served in that role until 1983, when he became the Chief Counsel for the United States Maritime Administration for the next two years.

He became Chief Judge in 2005 and served in that capacity until he assumed senior status on January 2, 2012.