Brent R. Appel

Brent R. Appel (born July 13, 1950) is an American attorney, politician and former judge who served as a justice of the Iowa Supreme Court from 2006 to 2022. Appel was previously an attorney in the office of the Attorney General of Iowa and was a candidate for a seat in the Iowa General Assembly. Early life and education Appel is a native of Dubuque, Iowa. He graduated from Stanford University with concurrent Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in history in 1973. He earned his Juris Doctor at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law in 1977. At Berkeley, he was an editor of the California Law Review and won the McBaine Moot Court. Career After graduating from law school, Appel clerked on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Appel was then First Assistant Attorney General of Iowa from 1979 to 1983 and deputy Attorney General from 1983 until 1987. While working at the Iowa Attorney General's Office, he argued four cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, including Nix v. Williams and Nix v. Whiteside.