Judith Kreeger

Judy was born in New York in 1941, the daughter of Mortimer (“Morty”) and Harriet Lefkowitz. When she was 13, her family moved from Far Rockaway to Miami Shores so her father could get a fresh start in business. She graduated from Miami Edison High School in 1958 and attended Randolph Macon Women’s College where she graduated with a Spanish major in 1963. Like much of her life, her choice of major was ahead of its time and later opened many doors professionally as South Florida became the international city it is today.

After receiving her undergraduate degree, she enrolled at the University of Miami School of Law, where she met and later married Julian Kreeger, her husband of 58 years. Judy was one of only three women in her law school class of 1966 and finished in the top ten in her class. After graduating, getting married, and passing the bar exam all in one summer, she clerked at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. It took more than 30 interviews for a judge to finally accept her as a deserving clerk, the first woman ever to serve as a law clerk on that court.

Even with her lofty credentials, Judy was unable to secure even an interview at a law firm in Miami (women, especially Jewish women, weren’t welcome in those circles). Undeterred, she joined Julian in opening Kreeger & Kreeger, P.A., where she partnered with him in private practice for 20 years.

Throughout her career, Judy put tremendous energy into important social and community issues. As the founder and chair of the Florida Bar’s Media Law Conference, she successfully helped in the fight to bring cameras into the courtroom in Florida for the first time during the 1970s. When selected to serve on the Dade County grand jury in 1989, she was elected by her peers to serve as the foreperson. That grand jury would ultimately conduct a high profile investigation revealing numerous issues with the management of the Dade County child welfare system.

Following her grand jury service, Judy began to focus her public service on children and families. She was a founder of the community nonprofit Miami Cares for Kids, and later would become a founding board member of Women of Tomorrow, which was founded by NBC6 anchor Jennifer Valoppi.

In 1992, with two of her three boys in college and the third close to graduating from high school, Judy chose to run for a position on the 11th Judicial Circuit in Dade County. True to form in prioritizing both professional and family goals, Judy brought her youngest son, Daniel, to nearly every campaign activity that year. Fittingly, the 1992 elections were widely known as the year of the woman, with an unprecedented number of women elected to positions at the federal, state and local levels across the country.

Despite the disruption caused by Hurricane Andrew in the Summer of 1992, she was elected and invested as a judge in January 1993, starting the beginning of a distinguished second professional chapter. It didn’t take long for Judy to identify substantial opportunities to improve the family court system, from docketing and case management, to the use of computers. She was a key catalyst in reforming Miami-Dade County’s family court division, leading to invitations to teach judges and court administrators across Florida, the United States and eventually Albania, Guatemala and Brazil on how they could improve their own family court systems.

She continued to flourish in her judicial career, earning appointments from her own court to preside over the Dade County grand jury from 2000-2006, from the U.S. State Department to be one of four judges serving on the Hague International Network of Judges, and from the Supreme Court of Florida to chair their technology committee and committee on a unified family court system. She also taught at the National Judicial College, and received numerous awards for her work and service. One Florida appellate judge noted that the only time he ever reversed one of Judge Kreeger’s rulings on appeal, his decision was subsequently overturned by the Florida Supreme Court.

Her years as a judge were defined as much by her grace, authenticity and humility as they were by her immense accomplishments. In the courtroom, whenever children were involved, she left no question that what was best for the children took priority over any other agenda. She was known for remaining firmly in command of her courtroom without losing her compassion and sense of humor, in one case sternly admonishing an attorney to lower his voice while noting that son David, sitting in the back of the courtroom, had heard that warning a few times. And never one to wield a title just for the sake of it, she insisted on being called “Judy” rather than the customary “Your Honour” whenever she was out of the courthouse.

She was also known for a pronounced sense of fashion and love of bright colors. Unwilling to sacrifice her individuality even for the jurist’s robe, she had her robe tailored shorter than typical, allowing her to accentuate her shoes. She was known to always have a colorful broach, pin, or zany purse, to go along with brightly colored nails. Her husband Julian affectionately referred to her weekly manicures as her solemn religious ritual.

As committed as she was to her work as a jurist and community builder, she was even more committed to her family. She was a loving partner to Julian until his passing in 2024 following a lengthy illness. They were a fixture at classical music concerts from South Florida to New York and beyond, including at the Friends of Chamber Music concert series that Julian led in Coral Gables for nearly 40 years (now carried forward by sons Abram and Daniel). She often cooked for the famous dinner parties at their home, with guests including a mix of lawyers, judges, musicians, journalists, academics and community leaders. She always made sure each guest felt welcome, typically observing the proceedings from her favorite spot in the living room while knitting a sweater.

Her commitment to her three boys was equally unwavering. She intentionally chose to build a law practice that allowed her to be home and present for her family every night and on weekends. Whether she was shuttling kids to and from sports practices and games, arranging extracurricular activities and summer programs, or simply being home with the family, she never let her professional life intrude on her family life.

To help her with that balancing act, shortly after the birth of her second son, Judy welcomed into their home Nicole Aure, whom she met through a family friend. Nicole was instrumental in helping take care of the household and children while she was at work during the day. Nicole’s own story of resilience and family resonated with Judy, and she quickly became part of the family, which continues to this day. Abram even once heard Judy happily recognize Nicole as a second mother in the family.

Throughout her life, her warmth, infectious smile, sense of style, authenticity, and kindness drew people to her everywhere she went, and she insisted on inviting newcomers to the South Florida community into their home to meet and make new friends. She embodied the spirit of Tikkun Olam, committed to making the world a better place in every facet of her life, from her dedication to family to her immense accomplishments as a professional and community leader.

Judy is survived by her three sons, Abram, David and Daniel; her three grandchildren, Ilana, Addison and Andy; her brother Paul; and Nicole.

Services will be held on Sunday, August 30, 2026 at 10:30 am at Riverside Gordon Memorial Chapel at 5900 SW 77th Avenue, Miami, FL 33143.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Women of Tomorrow (https://womenoftomorrow.org/get-involved)..