Lila Neuenfelt

Lila Neuenfelt (March 2, 1902 – October 8, 1981) was the first woman circuit court judge in Michigan and the youngest woman in the U.S. to become an attorney.

Early life and education

Lila Neuenfelt was born on March 2, 1902, in Lewiston, Michigan, one of six children. Neuenfelt graduated from Highland Park High School in 1919 and from the University of Detroit School of Law in 1922. She needed to wait six months to turn 21 before she could be admitted to Michigan's state bar. She became the youngest woman lawyer in the United States at the time.

Career

In 1926, Neuenfelt was a clerk for judge Leo Schaefer in Springwells, village; Schaefer suggested she run for judge. Upon winning election, she became the youngest and first woman justice of the peace in Michigan, earning extensive news coverage at the time.

In 1935, upon running for re-election, the corporate counsel of Dearborn ruled that she would need to run under her married name; Neuenfelt successfully petitioned the court and the state attorney general, and continued to use her maiden name.

In 1941, Neuenfelt was elected to the Michigan Circuit Court; she became Michigan's first female circuit court judge.

Neuenfelt served as a circuit court judge in Michigan until her retirement in 1968.

She is remembered for her accomplishments in a time when there were very limited opportunities for women in law, and noted for becoming a lawyer only two years after the 19th Amendment was passed.

Neuenfelt was a mentor to Cornelia Kennedy, who served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

In 2021, Neuenfelt was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in recognition of being the first female circuit judge in Michigan.