1st female Detroit federal judge dies at 90

DETROIT (AP) - Cornelia Kennedy, the first woman to become a federal judge in Detroit, has died. She was 90.

Kennedy was appointed by President Richard Nixon in 1970. Seven years later, she became chief federal judge in eastern Michigan - the first woman in that role in the country.

Verheyden Funeral Homes says Kennedy died Monday at her home in Grosse Pointe Woods surrounded by family.

In 1979, Kennedy was promoted by President Jimmy Carter to the federal appeals court in Cincinnati. She retired in 2012.

Kennedy’s sister, Margaret Schaeffer, served as a judge at the same time in Farmington Hills. A memorial service will be held June 27 at Grosse Pointe Congregational Church in Grosse Pointe Farms.