Kate Melloy Goettel

Kate Melloy Goettel is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Iowa College of Law since 2024. She specializes in immigration law and federal court practice, leading the newly established federal civil rights clinic with an immigration focus.

• Education: JD, University of Iowa

Melloy Goettel’s work centers on impact litigation addressing unlawful detention, immigrant youth rights, interior enforcement, and family separation. She has extensive experience in federal district courts, courts of appeal, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Scientific Awards:

• NGO Lawyer of the Year Award (2019), Federal Bar Association’s Immigration Law Section

She serves on the Executive Board of the Federal Bar Association’s Immigration Law Section and held the section chair role (2022–2023). Her career spans roles as senior legal director for the American Immigration Council and associate director of litigation for the National Immigrant Justice Center.