Nancy E. Brasel

Nancy E. Brasel
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota
Incumbent
Assumed office
September 13, 2018
Appointed byDonald Trump
Preceded byAnn D. Montgomery
Judge of the Minnesota State District Court for the 4th Judicial District
In office
October 17, 2011 – September 13, 2018
Appointed byMark Dayton
Personal details
Born1969 (age 54–55)
Durham, United Kingdom
EducationTrinity University (BA)
University of Texas at Austin (MA)
University of Minnesota (JD)

Nancy Ellen Brasel[1] (born 1969) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.

Early life and education

Born in England,[2] Brasel earned her Bachelor of Arts from Trinity University in 1991, where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, her Master of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin in 1993, and her Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from the University of Minnesota in 1996, where she was inducted into the Order of the Coif and served as a managing editor of the Minnesota Law Review.[3]

Career

Upon graduation from law school, Brasel served as a law clerk to Judge Donald P. Lay of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit from 1996 to 1997. After her clerkship, Judge Brasel worked in private practice as an associate with the Minneapolis law firm of Leonard, Street and Deinard (now Stinson). In 1999, she became a partner at Greene Espel, P.L.L.P., where her practice focused on business and employment litigation. Prior to her state judicial appointment, she spent three years as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota, where she prosecuted narcotics, firearms, and white collar crimes. In 2011, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton appointed Brasel to the Minnesota State District Court for the Fourth Judicial District in Hennepin County, where she served until becoming a federal judge.[4][5] Judge Brasel is the former Chair of the Board of Directors of the Domestic Abuse Project in Minneapolis.

Federal judicial service

In 2017, Brasel was recommended to the Trump administration as a federal judge by Senator Amy Klobuchar.[6] On February 12, 2018, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Brasel to an undetermined seat on the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota as part of a bipartisan package of judicial nominees which included Minneapolis lawyer Eric Tostrud. On February 15, 2018, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Trump nominated Brasel to the seat vacated by Judge Ann D. Montgomery, who assumed senior status on May 31, 2016.[7] Brasel was rated as "unanimously well qualified" by the American Bar Association.[8] On April 11, 2018, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[9] On May 10, 2018, her nomination was reported out of committee by a voice vote.[10] On August 28, 2018, her nomination was confirmed by a voice vote.[11] She received her judicial commission on September 13, 2018.[12]

Notable ruling

In October 2020, Brasel upheld a state court ruling, holding that ballots received seven days after the 2020 election must be counted.[13]

Electoral history

2012[14]
4th Judicial District Seat 29 Results, November 6, 2012
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Nancy E. Brasel (incumbent) 98.68
None Write-ins
Majority
Total votes 100.00%

References

  1. ^ United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees
  2. ^ Voruganti, Harsh (April 9, 2018). "Judge Nancy Brasel – Nominee to the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota". Vetting Room. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  3. ^ Montemayer, Stephen (February 12, 2018). "Trump picks Hennepin County judge, Minneapolis attorney for federal judgeships". Star Tribune. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  4. ^ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Eleventh Wave of Judicial Nominees" White House, February 12, 2018 Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  5. ^ Nelson, Tim (February 12, 2018). "Trump picks two new federal judges for Minn". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  6. ^ "Judge Nancy Brasel – Nominee to the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota". April 9, 2018.
  7. ^ PN1643 — Nancy E. Brasel — The Judiciary, congress.gov
  8. ^ Montemayor, Stephen (April 11, 2018). "Minnesota federal judicial nominees tested on Capitol Hill". Star Tribune. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  9. ^ United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Nominations for April 11, 2018
  10. ^ Results of Executive Business Meeting – May 10, 2018, Senate Judiciary Committee
  11. ^ "PN1643 — Nancy E. Brasel — The Judiciary". United States Senate. February 15, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  12. ^ Nancy E. Brasel at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  13. ^ "Federal judge upholds counting of late-arriving ballots in Minnesota". MinnPost. October 12, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  14. ^ "Minnesota judicial elections, 2012". Ballotpedia. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota
2018–present 		Incumbent