Judge Nancy E. Brasel was appointed by President Donald Trump on September 13, 2018. Judge Brasel is the 37th federal judge selected for Minnesota, succeeding Judge Ann D. Montgomery, who took senior status. Judge Montgomery had succeeded Judge Diana E. Murphy, for whom the Federal Courthouse in Minneapolis is named.

Judge Brasel received her undergraduate degree from Trinity University where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and her Master of Arts in English Literature from the University of Texas at Austin. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School where she was a managing editor of the Minnesota Law Review and was inducted into the Order of the Coif. After law school, Judge Brasel served as a law clerk to the Honorable Donald P. Lay on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

Upon graduating law school, Judge Brasel worked in private practice as an associate with the Minneapolis law firm of Leonard, Street and Deinard (now Stinson) and as a partner with the Minneapolis law firm of Greene Espel, focusing on business and employment litigation. From 2008 to 2011, Judge Brasel served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota and prosecuted narcotics, firearms, and financial crimes.

Prior to her appointment, Judge Brasel served as a Judge on the Hennepin County State District Court bench from 2011 to 2018 where she presided over criminal, civil, and juvenile matters. During her three-year service on the Juvenile Court bench, Judge Brasel contributed to several projects aimed at helping sexually exploited youth and teen girls.

Judge Brasel is the former Chair of the Board of Directors of the Domestic Abuse Project in Minneapolis.