Minnesota Law Mourns the Passing of Professor Emeritus Judith T. Younger

It is with deep sadness that the University of Minnesota Law School announces the passing of Professor Emeritus Judith T. Younger.

A highly regarded scholar and teacher known for her intellect and for breaking new ground in the legal profession, Younger came to Minnesota in 1984 as a visiting professor and joined the faculty permanently in 1985. She was the Joseph E. Wargo and Anoka County Bar Association Professor of Family Law at the Law School until she retired in 2022.

Minnesota Law faculty fondly remember Judith Younger as a trailblazer and innovator who loved teaching. She had many accomplishments but one course was a particular point of pride. She collaborated with students, welcoming them into her home on nights and weekends, to develop a groundbreaking course in the law of reproductive rights — one of the first schools in the country to offer such a class.

“I like everything I teach,” Younger said in a 2022 article in Minnesota Law magazine. “I’m proud of the law of reproductive rights class that students created with me. It was very exciting. I wanted to introduce them to the idea that choice is not always free and to teach about reproductive justice.” In addition to teaching, she contributed a significant body of research and writing on a wide array of topics, from marital property division to legal education and family law issues like surrogacy.

“Judith Younger was a pathbreaking law student, professor, dean, and advocate,” says Professor Jill Hasday, Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Centennial Professor in Law. “She continued trailblazing at Minnesota Law. Starting in 2008 and for many years afterward, Judith taught the Law of Reproductive Rights, making Minnesota Law one of the few law schools to regularly offer such a course. I will miss her energy, engagement, and wry sense of humor.”

In 2010, Younger was recognized with the Stanley V. Kinyon Teacher of the Year Award.

“Judith was an original — as a teacher, a scholar, and a colleague,” says Professor June Carbone, Robina Chair in Law, Science, and Technology. “She always took her students seriously and continued to innovate through her last days in the classroom. We all learned from her example.”

Younger served on the Minnesota Board of Professional Responsibility and was of counsel to a Minnesota law firm. She was a member of the bar in New York, the District of Columbia, and Minnesota. She was also a member of the United States Supreme Court bar, the bars of several other federal courts, and an elected member of the American Law Institute. While on the faculty, she acted as an adviser to the student-run Theatre of the Relatively Talentless (TORT) and was a regular performer in its productions.

“Judith was a legendary member of Minnesota Law's faculty for nearly four decades,” says Dean William McGeveran, William S. Pattee Professor of Law. “She was a beloved teacher of family law, including topics like wills and trusts, and remedies. She leaves a legacy of profound scholarship and advocacy in family law, gender equality, and legal education and will be remembered for her role as a pathbreaker for women in the legal profession and legal academy. As a colleague, I enjoyed checking in with her on the latest movies, her joyful and often somewhat mischievous laugh, and of course, her famous showstopping appearances in TORT performances.”

Younger met her late husband, former Minnesota Law professor Irving Younger, in high school in New York City. After graduating college and getting married, the two became classmates again when they entered New York University Law School together. While at law school, she and Irving had to share one set of books because they couldn't afford two. They were partners throughout, serving together on NYU’s law review, and as Younger noted — competing fiercely with each other.

Professor Emeritus Robert Stein '61 recalls meeting Judith Younger when he was dean of Minnesota Law and recruiting Irving Younger to join the faculty. “Judith was also a distinguished law professor and had been dean at Syracuse Law School," says Stein. "Irving and Judith came together for a visit in 1984 and stayed on our faculty permanently. When Irving died in 1988, Judith received several invitations from law schools in the northeast to 'return home.' But Judith loved Minnesota and stayed on with Minnesota Law for another 34 years until her retirement in 2022. Judith was a delightful colleague and we will miss her.”

After graduation from law school, Younger clerked for the Hon. Edward Weinfeld of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, was an associate in the litigation department of a Wall Street law firm, now Chadbourne & Parke, was an assistant attorney general of the State of New York, and was a partner with Irving in their own law firm, Younger & Younger. She began her law teaching career on a part-time basis at her alma mater, New York University Law School.

It was pursuing her career as a teacher that lit a spark for Younger. “I like to teach, and I like the students,” Younger told Minnesota Law magazine. “They are young and vigorous and most of them are open-minded and prepared to learn new things,” she said. “I’ve learned a great deal more from them than they have learned from me.”

“Judith was a colleague with enormous insight and wisdom,” says Professor Susan Wolf, Regents Professor, Faegre Drinker Professor of Law, and Professor of Medicine. “She brought to all issues a wealth of experience and deep intelligence, combined with unfailing empathy. She will be sorely missed.”

She earned a B.S. from Cornell University, a J.D. from New York University, and a LL.D.(Hon) from Hofstra University.

Younger became a full-time academic after she had two daughters, joining the founding faculty of Hofstra Law School. During her career, she taught at New York University Law School, Hofstra Law School, Syracuse University College of Law, Cornell Law School, American University Washington College of Law, and the University of Minnesota Law School.

In 1974, Younger became the first woman to be named dean of Syracuse University College of Law, and the first woman to lead a law school in the state.

An innovative and forward-thinking teacher and scholar who took great pride in her students, Judith Younger was a beloved member of the Law School community. We will miss her towering intellect and her genuine kindness, warmth, and wit.

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