Frederica Brenneman

1926 - 2021

Frederica Joanne (Shoenfield) Brenneman, a longtime Connecticut judge, died peacefully in Woodland Hills, California, on March 15, 2021, after a long illness. She was 94. Frederica was born on July 10, 1926, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to Allen Shoenfield, a science reporter for the Detroit News, and Kate (Friedman) Shoenfield. In 1943, at the age of 16, she left for Radcliffe College and immediately fell in love with the East Coast, making it her home for the next 73 years. She received her undergraduate degree from Radcliffe and in 1950 was accepted to the first class of women to be admitted to Harvard Law School. There, she met her beloved husband of sixty-five years, Russell L. Brenneman. They married in 1951 and were the first married couple to graduate from Harvard Law. In 1967, now the mother of three young children, Frederica was working as a law clerk to the Connecticut legislature's judiciary committee when the United States Supreme Court, in the landmark decision of In Re Gault, held that children facing delinquency proceedings are entitled to due process of law, including the constitutional right to legal counsel. In the wake of this decision, Connecticut's Juvenile Court doubled in size and Frederica was appointed to the court, becoming only the second female judge in the history of Connecticut. In 1978 she became a judge in the state's Superior Court, a court of general jurisdiction, when the Juvenile Court merged with the Superior Court. Judge Brenneman was a deeply influential figure in the field of juvenile justice, from its modern beginnings in 1967 and throughout her long and fruitful career. She specialized in abuse and neglect cases, pushed for stronger legal protections for children, shaped clear statewide protocols and case law, trained countless judges, and educated caseworkers, attorneys, parents, and the public on court procedures. In 1979 she helped found Children in Placement, which monitors and supports children in Connecticut's foster care system. Over the years, Judge Brenneman and her work were recognized and honored by a wide range of organizations, including the Connecticut Bar Association, Radcliffe College, St. John's University, Children's Law Center of Minnesota, among others. In 2013 Harvard Law School lauded her, saying: "Venerable jurist and trailblazer, your distinguished contributions in the field of law as a passionate advocate for juvenile rights set an unparalleled standard for all graduates of Harvard Law School." Frederica (or Freddie, as she was known to her friends) was a passionate lover of the arts, especially theater. She loved Tanglewood, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Broadway. She served as a deacon of both South Congregational Church in Glastonbury, Connecticut, and Saugatuck Congregational Church in Westport. She was an avid traveler (Turkey and Tuscany were favorites) and an engaged alumna of both her undergraduate and graduate schools. From 1999 to 2005, Frederica served as advisor on the television drama, "Judging Amy," which was inspired by her life and work and which she co-created with her daughter, Amy. With her dignity, grace, humor and fierce intelligence, Frederica enjoyed a large and diverse circle of devoted friends, family and protégés, both within and outside the legal profession. A loving mother and grandmother, Frederica is survived by her three children, sons Matthew and Andrew (wife Karen) and daughter Amy (husband Brad Silberling); and by five grandchildren: Granger Brenneman, Charlotte and Bodhi Silberling, and Ava and Charles Brenneman. Donations in her honor may be made to Children in Placement (https://www.childreninplacement.org).