Brest received an A.B. from Swarthmore College in 1962 and an LL.B. from Harvard Law School in 1965. Brest served as law clerk to Supreme Court Justice John M. Harlan, and practiced with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Inc., in Jackson, Mississippi, doing civil rights litigation.
In 1969, Brest joined the faculty of Stanford Law School, where he was the Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Professor of Public Interest Law. His research and teaching focused on constitutional law and decision making. His writings in constitutional law include articles on constitutional interpretation, race discrimination, and affirmative action. He also co-authored a book, Processes of Constitutional Decision Making.
From 1987 to 1999, Brest served as the dean of Stanford Law School where he spearheaded the expansion of the school's curriculum in business, environmental law, high technology, and negotiation, and led a $115 million capital campaign.
Brest has been a visiting professor at Yale Law School and a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. Brest also holds honorary degrees from Northeastern Law School and Swarthmore College and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Contact: Deborah Williams-Hedges (626) 395-3227 debwms@caltech.edu
Visit the Caltech Media Relations Web site at: http://pr.caltech.edu/media
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Written by Deborah Williams-Hedges