Biography

After a long and eminent career as a constitutional law scholar and dean of Stanford Law School, Paul Brest assumed the presidency of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation in 2000, where he leads a philanthropic organization dedicated to solving social and environmental problems in the United States and abroad. He remains active as a teacher and legal scholar in the development of interdisciplinary approaches to problem solving and is a leading theorist on the role of nonprofits in society.

Professor Brest is a fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and holds honorary degrees from Northwestern University School of Law and Swarthmore College. Before joining the Stanford Law School faculty in 1969, he clerked for Judge Bailey Aldrich of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and Justice John M. Harlan of the U.S. Supreme Court, and did civil rights litigation with the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund in Mississippi.

Key Works

• Paul Brest, Palmer v. Thompson: An Approach to the Problem of Unconstitutional Legislative Motive, in A Constitutional Law Anthology, 2nd edition, Michael J. Glennon, Donald E. Lively, Phoebe A. Haddon, Dorothy E. Roberts, and Russell L. Weaver, eds., Cincinatti: Anderson Publishing, 1997.
• Paul Brest, The Misconceived Quest for the Original Understanding, 60 Boston University Law Review 204-238 (1980).
• Paul Brest, The Supreme Court 1975 Term. Forward: In Defense of the Antidiscrimination Principle, 90 Harvard Law Review 1-55 (1976).
• Paul Brest, The Conscientious Legislator's Guide to Constitutional Interpretation, 27 Stanford Law Review 585 (1975).

Courses & Programs

Courses

• Judgment and Decision-Making

Publications & Cases

Recent Publications View All

• Paul Brest, Sanford Levinson, J.M. Balkin and Akhil Reed Amar, Reva B. Siegel, Processes of Constitutional Decision-Making, New York: Aspen, 5th ed., 2010 Supplement, 2010.
• Paul Brest and Linda Hamilton Krieger, Problem Solving, Decision Making, and Professional Judgment: A Guide for Lawyers and Policymakers, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010.
• Paul Brest and George Lowenstein, In Defense of Fear, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 12, 2009, pg. B1.
• Paul Brest and Hal Harvey, Dealing with Hard Times: Advice for Foundations, Chronicle of Philanthropy, November 13, 2008.
• Paul Brest and Hal Harvey, Money Well Spent: A Strategic Plan for Smart Philanthropy, New York: Bloomberg Press, October 2008.
• Paul Brest, California's Diversity Legislation is Misguided, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, March 6, 2008.
• Paul Brest, Sanford Levinson, J.M. Balkin and Akhil Reed Amar, Processes of Constitutional Decision-Making, New York: Aspen, 5th ed., 2007 Supplement, 2007.
• Paul Brest, Sanford Levinson, J.M. Balkin, Akhil Reed Amar and Reva B. Siegel, Processes of Constitutional Decisionmaking: Cases and Materials, New York: Aspen Publishers, 5th ed., 2006.
• Paul Brest, Preface: How This Symposium Came About, 97 Northwestern University Law Review 1079-1080 (Spring 2003).
• Paul Brest, Some Comments on Grutter v. Bollinger, 51 Drake Law Review 683-696 (2003).

Affiliations & Honors

Professional Affiliations

• Member, 2005 Board of Trustees, Security Council Report
• Member, 2003 Board of Trustees, California Institute of Technology
• Member, 2003 Board of Directors, Ithaka Harbours

Honors and Awards

• Honorary LLD, Northeastern University School of Law, 1980; Swarthmore College, 1991
• Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences