Cornelia Groefsema Kennedy

Judge Cornelia Groefsema Kennedy
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Nominated by	Jimmy Carter
Appointed by	September 26, 1979
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
Appointed by	October 7, 1970
Personal details
Born	August 4, 1923 (1923-08-04) (age 88) Detroit, Michigan, United States
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Charles Stuart Kennedy, Jr.
Alma mater	University of Michigan
Religion	Congregational

Cornelia Groefsema Kennedy (born August 4, 1923) is a Senior Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Biography

Kennedy grew up in Detroit, Michigan. She graduated at the top of her class from the University of Michigan Law School. After law school, she clerked for the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Judge Harold Stephens, where she was the first woman to clerk on that court.

In 1965, Kennedy ran for Wayne County Circuit Court judge and lost by less than 100 votes. The next year, she ran again and won.

In 1970, Kennedy was appointed by Richard Nixon to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

In 1977, Kennedy became the chief judge on that court, becoming the first woman to serve as chief judge of a U.S. district court.

Jimmy Carter elevated Kennedy to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in 1979.

In 1981, President Ronald Reagan had narrowed his search for Justice Potter Stewart's replacement to Judge Kennedy and Sandra Day O'Connor as the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court before eventually choosing Justice O'Connor for the vacant seat. Judge Kennedy was also on the shortlist for the seat vacated by the departure of William O. Douglas which eventually went to John Paul Stevens.

Notable Cases

Connection Distributing v. Keisler

Main article: Child Protection and Obscenity Enforcement Act

Judge Kennedy authored the majority opinion in Connection Distributing Co. v. Keisler, 505 F.3d 545 (6th Cir. 2007), which declared Section 2257 of the Child Protection and Obscenity Enforcement Act unconstitutional. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit en banc vacated the decision and upheld Section 2257 with Judge Kennedy authoring the primary dissent.

Personal life

On November 8, 1962, she had her first and only son with her husband Charles Kennedy,Jr. The son was named Charles Stuart Kennedy III== See also ==

Related Links

• Gerald Ford Supreme Court candidates
• Ronald Reagan Supreme Court candidates

External links

• Michigan Lawyers in History--Judge Cornelia G. Kennedy: First Lady of the Michigan Judiciary

Persondata
Name	Kennedy, Cornelia G.
Alternative names	Judge Cornelia Kennedy
Short description	Judge on United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Date of birth	August 4, 1923
Place of birth	Detroit, MI
Date of death
Place of death