Cornelia G. Kennedy Papers

Cornelia G. Kennedy papers

The materials in this online repository form part of a larger Cornelia G. Kennedy manuscript collection held by the Bentley Historical Library. For a more complete index to the materials, please consult the collection's online finding aid.

For questions or more information, please contact the Bentley Historical Library's Division of Reference and Access Services

Abstract:
Cornelia G. Kennedy, “First Lady of the Michigan Judiciary,” was the first woman appointed to the federal bench in Michigan and the first woman to become a chief judge for a United States District Court. Judge Kennedy was nominated to U.S. District Court in 1970 and to U.S. Circuit Court (Federal Appeals Court) in 1979. Although never actually nominated to the Supreme Court, she was mentioned in connection with vacancies there during the administrations of three different U.S. Presidents. This online collection includes biographical materials, photographs, sound recordings, and transcripts created as part of an oral history of Justice Kennedy conducted by Allyson A. Miller as part of the Women Trailblazers in Law Project in 2012.