Patricia Breckenridge
Patricia Breckenridge is a Judge on the Supreme Court of Missouri. She served as Chief Justice of the Court from July 1, 2015, to June 30, 2017.
Breckenridge was born in Nevada, Missouri, and received her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Missouri. Governor Kit Bond appointed her as a judge in Vernon County, Missouri in 1982. She was subsequently elected to the position three times. Governor John Ashcroft elevated her to the Missouri Court of Appeals in 1990, and she was retained twice in general elections.
Breckenridge was one of three candidates proposed by Missouri's Appellate Judicial Commission to Governor Matt Blunt in 2007 to replace retiring Judge Ronnie White on the Missouri Supreme Court. Blunt expressed reservations about any candidate proposed by the Commission, but he favored Breckenridge over the two more liberal candidates and appointed her in September 2007.
In November 2008, after major newspapers obtained copies of emails within the Blunt administration they had requested since 2007 under the Sunshine Law, they reported that Ed Martin, Blunt's Chief of Staff from 2006 to November 2007, and head of the Missouri Republican Party since January 2013, used his office to try to encourage outside opposition to Breckenridge's appointment in 2007.
