He was a United States Army captain in the infantry during World War I from 1917 to 1919.

[1] Borah received a recess appointment from President Calvin Coolidge on October 3, 1928, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana vacated by Judge Louis Henry Burns.

He was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 17, 1928, and received his commission the same day.

His service terminated on October 23, 1949, due to his elevation to the Fifth Circuit.

[1] Borah was nominated by President Harry S. Truman on October 15, 1949, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit vacated by Judge Elmo Pearce Lee.