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 Supreme Court of the United States, 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).

In the News

• Philanthropists’ Donations Come Under Scrutiny For Diversity
  Capitol Weekly, March 20, 2008
• What Makes People Give?
  The New York Times Magazine, March 09, 2008
• For Good Measure
  The New York Times Magazine, March 09, 2008
• Regulation On Philanthropy Sought
  Inside Bay Area, March 02, 2008
• Editorial: Foundation Diversity Bill Is Intrusive And Misguided
  San Jose Mercury News, February 22, 2008

Publications & Cases

Recent Publications View All

• 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).
• Paul Brest and Miranda Oshige, Affirmative Action for Whom?, in A Reader on Race, Civil Rights and American Law, Timothy Davis, Kevin R. Johnson and George A. Martinez, eds., Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 2001. p. 346-359.
• Paul Brest, Constitutional Interpretation, in Encyclopedia of the American Constitution, Second Edition, Leonard W. Levy and Kenneth L. Karst, eds., New York: Macmillan Reference, 2000. p.626-633.
• Paul Brest, Legislation, in Encyclopedia of the American Constitution, Second Edition, Leonard W. Levy and Kenneth L. Karst, eds., New York: Macmillan Reference, 2000. p.1582-1589.
• Paul Brest, Processes of Constitutional Decisionmaking: Cases and Materials, 4th ed., New York: Aspen Law & Business, 1638 p., 2000.
• Paul Brest and Linda Hamilton Krieger, Lawyers as Problem Solvers, 72 Temple Law Review 811-832 (1999).

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