Hon. Brent Appel (Ret.) Profile

Distinguished Lecturer and Jurist in Residence

515-271-3685
brent.appel@drake.edu

Areas of Expertise

Professional Responsibility, State and Federal Constitutional Law, Employment Law, Public Law

Education

BA – Stanford University, B.S. and M.A. in history
JD – University of California (Berkeley), J.D.

Professional Experience

Justice, Iowa Supreme Court, 2006-2022
Wandro, Baer, and Appel, 2005-06
Dickinson, Mackaman, Tyler, & Hagen, P.C., 1987-2005
Deputy Attorney General, State of Iowa, 1983-86
First Assistant Attorney General, State of Iowa, 1979, 1981
Court Law Clerk, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (1977-78)

Selected Publications

• Brent Appel, Clark v. Board of School Directors, 67 Drake L. Rev. 236 (2019);  Brent R. Appel, Records in University Fundraising:  Public or Private, 28 State & Local Gov’t Law News 1 (2005)
• Brent R. Appel, Item Veto Litigation in Iowa:  Marking the Boundaries Between Legislative and Executive Power , 41 Drake Law Review 139 (1992)
• Brent Appel and Gayla Harrison, Employment at Will in Iowa:  A Journey Forward, 39 Drake L. Rev. 67 (1989-90)
• Brent R. Appel, The Limited Impact of Nix v. Williams on Attorney-Client Relations, 136 U. Penn. L. Rev 1913 (1988)
• James A. Blackman and Brent R. Appel, Epidemiological and Legal Consideration in the Exclusion of Children with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Cytomegalavirus or Herpes Simplex Virus Infection from Group Care, 6 Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. 1011 (1987)
• Brent Appel, Nix v. Whiteside:  the Role of Apples, Oranges, and the Great Houdini in Constitutional Interpretation, 23 Crim. L. Bull. 5 (1987)
• Brent Appel, The Inevitable Discovery Exception to the Exclusionary Rule, 21 Crim . L. Bull. 101 (1985)

Significant Accomplishments

• Recipient, Rolland E. Grefe Pro Bono Publico Award (2022)
• Chair, Iowa Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission, 2016-22
• Member, Federal Advisory Committee on the Rules of Evidence, 2010-2016)
• Member, Iowa Temporary Redistricting Advisory Commission (1991)
• Briefed and argued four cases before the United States Supreme Court
  
  • Herwig v. Ray, 455 U.S. 265 (1982)
  • Nix v. Williams, 467 U.S. 431 (1984)
  • Nix v. Whiteside, 475 U.S. 157 (1986)
  • Puerto Rico v. Branstad, 483 U.S. 1987)
• Research Editor, California Law Review (1976-77)
• Winner, McBaine Moot Court Competition (1976)