Brian Edward Murphy (born 1979) is an American lawyer who is serving as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Early life and education
Murphy was born in Columbia, Maryland. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from the College of the Holy Cross in 2002 and a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School in 2006. While in law school, he attended as a James Kent Scholar, a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and was editor-in-chief of the Columbia Human Rights Law Review.
Career
From 2006 to 2009, Murphy was a public defender at the Massachusetts Committee for Public Counsel Services. From 2009 to 2011, he was an associate attorney at Todd and Weld LLP. From 2011 to 2024, he was the partner at Murphy & Rudolf LLP; from 2012 to 2016 the firm was known as Murphy & Vander Salm LLP. From 2015 to 2019, Murphy also served as a supervising attorney for the Worcester County Bar Advocates.
Federal judicial service
On March 20, 2024, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Murphy to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Murphy was recommended to the White House by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey. On March 21, 2024, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Murphy to the seat being vacated by Judge Patti B. Saris, who announced her intent to assume senior status upon confirmation of a successor. On April 17, 2024, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. On May 9, 2024, his nomination was reported out of committee by an 11–10 party-line vote. On November 20, 2024, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 50–49 vote. On December 2, 2024, his nomination was confirmed by a 47–45 vote. He received his judicial commission on December 6, 2024.
Notable cases
On March 28, 2025, Murphy temporarily blocked the Department of Homeland Security from deporting people to "third countries", or countries other than the one they came from.
References
External links
- Brian E. Murphy at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
