Patricia Breckenridge

Who is Patricia Breckenridge?

Patricia Breckenridge is a Judge on the Supreme Court of Missouri. She 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.

Then-Governor John Ashcroft appointed 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.

The appointment of Breckenridge was an important test for the Missouri Plan for selecting judges. Breckenridge had been criticized by conservative interest groups.