Cornelia Groefsema Kennedy
Encyclopedia
Cornelia Groefsema Kennedy (born August 4, 1923) is a Senior Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
.
. 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
.
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.
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Kentucky* Western District of Kentucky...
.
Biography
Kennedy grew up in Detroit, MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. She graduated at the top of her class from the University of Michigan Law School
University of Michigan Law School
The University of Michigan Law School is the law school of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Founded in 1859, the school has an enrollment of about 1,200 students, most of whom are seeking Juris Doctor or Master of Laws degrees, although the school also offers a Doctor of Juridical...
. 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
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
had narrowed his search for Justice Potter Stewart
Potter Stewart
Potter Stewart was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. During his tenure, he made, among other areas, major contributions to criminal justice reform, civil rights, access to the courts, and Fourth Amendment jurisprudence.-Education:Stewart was born in Jackson, Michigan,...
's replacement to Judge Kennedy and Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor is an American jurist who was the first female member of the Supreme Court of the United States. She served as an Associate Justice from 1981 until her retirement from the Court in 2006. O'Connor was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981...
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
William O. Douglas
William Orville Douglas was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. With a term lasting 36 years and 209 days, he is the longest-serving justice in the history of the Supreme Court...
which eventually went to John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from December 19, 1975 until his retirement on June 29, 2010. At the time of his retirement, he was the oldest member of the Court and the third-longest serving justice in the Court's history...
.
Connection Distributing v. Keisler
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 ActChild Protection and Obscenity Enforcement Act
The Child Protection and Obscenity Enforcement Act of 1988, title VII, subtitle N of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, , , is part of a United States Act of Congress which places stringent record-keeping requirements on the producers of actual, sexually explicit materials...
unconstitutional. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit en banc
En banc
En banc, in banc, in banco or in bank is a French term used to refer to the hearing of a legal case where all judges of a court will hear the case , rather than a panel of them. It is often used for unusually complex cases or cases considered to be of greater importance...
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 IIISee also
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