She has been lead counsel in more than 500 appeals in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, resulting in more than 180 published opinions. She served in the Department of Justice for ten years, in three federal districts and under nine U.S. Attorneys from both political parties, and was chief of the appellate section for the Western and Northern Districts of Texas. Powell is the author of Licensed to Lie: Exposing Corruption in the Department of Justice. February 23, 2015