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Feb. 9, 2023Jefferson City, Mo. |  By: AP

Two Missouri Supreme Court judges to retire

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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Two Missouri Supreme Court judges are retiring this year, Chief Justice Paul Wilson announced Wednesday during the annual State of the Judiciary address to state lawmakers.

Lawmakers stood to applaud Judges Patricia Breckenridge and George Draper when Wilson announced their upcoming retirements this fall.

A court spokeswoman said the judges have not yet announced when their last days will be.

Both Breckenridge and Draper are nearing their 70th birthdays, and the Missouri Constitution requires judges to retire by age 70 or they automatically forfeit their pensions.

Former Republican Gov. Matt Blunt appointed Breckenridge to the high court in 2007, and former Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon picked Draper for the court in 2011.

In Missouri, a special panel of lawyers, governor-chosen citizens and the chief justice recommend three candidates to fill Supreme Court vacancies. The governor picks from those three candidates.

These will be Republican Gov. Mike Parson’s second and third Supreme Court appointments since he took office in 2018. He appointed Judge Robin Ransom to the court in 2021.