Kathleen McCree Lewis
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Kathleen McCree Lewis (September 27, 1947 – October 16, 2007) was an American lawyer and former federal judicial nominee to the
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (in case citations, 6th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * Eastern District of Kentucky * Western District of K ...
.


Early life and education

Lewis was born in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. Lewis' father, Wade H. McCree, was the U.S. Solicitor General from 1977 until 1981. He also was a federal appeals court judge himself, having been appointed to the Sixth Circuit by President
Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...
in 1966 and serving on the Sixth Circuit until his appointment as Solicitor General. After graduating from Detroit's Cass Technical High School (where she was a member of its state championship debate team), Lewis earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the
University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
in 1969 and a
Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
(J.D.) degree from the
University of Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School (branded as Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Comparati ...
in 1973.


Professional career

In 1973, Lewis joined the
Dykema Gossett Dykema Gossett PLLC, is an American full-service law firm. Founded and headquartered in Detroit, it has offices in various locations around the United States including California, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas, Washington, D.C., and Wiscon ...
law firm in
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
, rising to become a partner at the firm and serving as the firm's appellate litigation specialist.


Nomination to the Sixth Circuit

Lewis first was considered for a different vacancy on the Sixth Circuit. In 1995, her name appeared on the short list to replace retiring Judge
Damon Keith Damon Jerome Keith (July 4, 1922 – April 28, 2019) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and a former United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern Dist ...
, according to a March 20, 1995 article in Crain's Detroit Business. Ultimately, however, President
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
chose to fill that vacancy by nominating
Helene White Helene N. White (born December 2, 1954) is a Senior status, senior United States federal judge, United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Previously, she was a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals. ...
to that vacancy; White never was confirmed, however. Clinton earlier had nominated another contender for Keith's former seat, Eric L. Clay, to a different vacancy on the Sixth Circuit, and Clay was confirmed easily. On September 16, 1999, President Clinton nominated Lewis to the Sixth Circuit vacancy created by the retirement of Judge
Cornelia Groefsema Kennedy Cornelia Groefsema Kennedy (née Groefsema; August 4, 1923 – May 12, 2014) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Education and career Born in Detroit, Michigan, Kennedy graduated from th ...
. "I'm thrilled and I feel very honored," Lewis told the Detroit Free Press in an article that appeared on September 17, 1999. With the U.S. Senate controlled by Republicans during the final two years of Clinton's presidency, Lewis' nomination languished before being returned to the White House when Clinton's presidency ended, chiefly because of objections from Michigan's Republican senator,
Spencer Abraham Edward Spencer Abraham (born June 12, 1952) is an American attorney, author, and politician who served as the 10th United States secretary of energy from 2001 to 2005, under President George W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party, he previousl ...
. In 2001, President Bush nominated
Susan Bieke Neilson Susan Bieke Neilson (August 27, 1956 – January 25, 2006) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and before that, a state trial judge in Michigan. Neilson was nominated by President George ...
to the Sixth Circuit seat to which Lewis had been nominated. Neilson's nomination languished for close to four years before she was confirmed in late 2005. Neilson died of cancer just two and a half months after her Senate confirmation.


Life after the failed nomination

Lewis continued working at Dykema Gossett after her nomination was withdrawn. She was named one of
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
's top 10 lawyers of 2006 by ''Michigan Lawyers Weekly'' magazine. In an interview for that issue, Lewis told the magazine that service to her community was part of her essence. "Both of my parents were very active in the community as I was growing up, and from that I think I perceived that responsible grownups serve their communities in a voluntary capacity," she told the magazine. "It never occurred to me not to serve."


Illness and death

Lewis had battled
breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...
for 12 years. Despite the fact that she had never smoked, doctors found
lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...
in 2005, and she died of an inoperable tumor on her lung on October 16, 2007.Article in the ''
Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...
'', 22 October 2007.
Kathleen McCree Lewis died at the age of 60, on the same day that her husband David Baker Lewis' mother, Dorothy Baker Lewis, died at age 92.


See also

*
Bill Clinton judicial appointment controversies During President Bill Clinton's first and second terms of office, he nominated 24 people for 20 federal appellate judgeships but the nominees were not processed by the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee. Three of the nominees who we ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Kathleen McCree 1947 births 2007 deaths University of Michigan Law School alumni Lawyers from Boston Lawyers from Detroit 20th-century American women lawyers 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century African-American women 21st-century African-American lawyers 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American lawyers