State's First Female Supreme Court Justice to Give Inaugural Folwell Lecture
Oct. 13, 2003

Linda Neuman, recently retired from the Iowa Supreme Court, will be the guest lecturer at St. Ambrose University’s inaugural Folwell Lecture, at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 21.  The lecture, titled “Can We Talk?  Easing the Uneasy Dialogue between the Court and Legislature,” is free and open to the public. It will be held in the St. Ambrose Board Room on the third floor of Ambrose Hall, 518 West. Locust St., in Davenport.

Neuman, of LeClaire, Iowa, served on the high court from 1986 to July, 2003.  She was not only the first woman appointed to the court but, at age 38, she was also the youngest justice to serve in more than a century. In addition to her opinion writing duties, Neuman was actively involved in efforts to root out racial and gender bias in the courts. She also chaired a major planning initiative designed to modernize Iowa’s court system and led the supreme court’s internal committee on lawyer discipline and admission to the bar. She is credited with inspiring more women in this region to enter the legal profession. 

 “This is an extraordinary opportunity for the public to get a first-hand look at the inner workings of the state’s highest court,” says Nathan Schlueter, assistant professor of political science at St. Ambrose. “Judge Neuman brings a rare perspective on the challenges of self government that will be of interest not just to historians, political scientists, or members of the legal profession, but to all citizens.” 

Neuman, who was raised in Denver, received her bachelor’s degree and law degree at the University of Colorado and her Masters of Law degree from the University of Virginia. After working in a Davenport law firm, she served as Scott County Magistrate and then was appointed a district court judge for the Seventh Judicial District in 1982 and served there until her appointment to the supreme court four years later. She is married to Iowa native and Davenport attorney Henry Neuman.

The Folwell Lecture is sponsored through the generosity of Jane Folwell, in conjunction with the Frank and Jane Folwell Endowed Chair in Political Science and Pre-Law. The prestigious Folwell Chair Endowment was established in 2001 by Mrs. Folwell, an energetic volunteer and generous benefactor for educational, health and community groups and initiatives including Junior Achievement, Genesis Health Services Foundation and St. Ambrose University. Mrs. Fowell’s husband, Frank, was a highly respected Quad-City businessman and philanthropist who passed away in 1997.

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