Darius J. Brown
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Darius J. Brown | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Delaware Senate from the 2nd district | |
| Assumed office November 7, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Margaret Rose Henry |
| Personal details | |
| Party | Democratic |
| Occupation | Legislator |
| Website | Official website |
Darius J. Brown is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party.[1][2] A former Wilmington city councilmember, he was elected to the Delaware Senate in 2018, representing district 2.[3]
Delaware Senate
Between June 2010 and January 2011, Brown was a constituent relations specialist for Connections, a nonprofit state contractor.[4] From 2011 to 2016, Brown worked as an independent contract lobbyist for Connections and other companies.[4] He became vice president of constituent relations for Connections in November 2016.[4]
In 2012, Brown was elected to the Wilmington City Council to represent the 3rd district.[5] He unsuccessfully ran for city treasurer in 2016.[4]
Brown was elected to the Delaware Senate in 2018 after winning 2,115 votes (38.4%) in a four-way primary with no opponent in the general election.[6] He is the second African-American man to be elected to the Delaware Senate.[7][8] He was appointed chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and The News Journal described him as one of the "champions of criminal justice reform" for his actions while chair.[9] He was removed as chair following his May 2021 arrest for domestic violence accusations.[10] In 2021, Brown was hired as executive director of the Wilmington HOPE Commission, a not-for-profit organization which aims to lower recidivism by helping ex-offenders re-enter society after leaving prison.[11]
In 2024, Brown was selected to join the Criminal Justice Reform cohort of the Future Caucus Innovation Fellowship, a bipartisan coalition of Gen Z and millennial lawmakers interested in creating policies to improve the criminal justice system.[12][13]
In 2024, Brown was the only Democrat in the State Senate to oppose a bill formally abolishing capital punishment in Delaware.[14]
Legislation sponsored
Brown sponsored a Constitutional Amendment to include race, color, and national origin to the Equal Rights Amendment of the Delaware Constitution.[15] He also introduced legislation prohibiting discrimination based on hairstyles historically associated with race.[16]
Brown is known for his work in criminal justice reform and has sponsored legislation to improve Delaware's record expungement system and expand employment for incarcerated individuals.[17][18]
Legal issues
In 2018, federal and state tax liens were filed against Brown for over $60,000 in unpaid taxes between 2012 and 2016, which Brown failed to report on his required financial disclosures during his initial primary election.[19] He had a previous lien for over $4,000 in unpaid state taxes from 2010 to 2013.[4]
In May 2021, Brown was arrested on misdemeanor charges for domestic violence after allegedly punching a woman at a restaurant in Talleyville, Delaware during an argument about a social media post.[20][9] He was removed as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee by Senate President Pro Tempore David Sokola several days after the arrest.[21] After his arrest, the Women's Defense Coalition of Delaware called on the Ethics Committee of the State Senate to conduct a formal inquiry into the incident.[22] At trial, Brown was acquitted of all charges.[23]