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Edward D. Robertson Jr.

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Edward D. "Chip" Robertson Jr.
Chief Justice of Missouri
In office
July 1, 1991 – June 30, 1993
Preceded byCharles Blakey Blackmar
Succeeded byAnn K. Covington
Judge of the Supreme Court of Missouri
In office
June 28, 1985 – July 15, 1998
Appointed byJohn Ashcroft
Preceded byGeorge F. Gunn Jr.
Succeeded byMichael A. Wolff
Personal details
Born (1952-05-01) May 1, 1952 (age 72)
Durham, North Carolina
SpouseRenee Ann Beal
Alma materWestminster College
Southern Methodist University
University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law
John F. Kennedy School of Government
University of Virginia School of Law

Edward D. "Chip" Robertson Jr. (born May 1, 1952) is a former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Missouri. Robertson was 33 years old when then-Governor John Ashcroft appointed him to serve on the court, and he served from 1985 to 1998.[1] His appointment - Ashcroft's first to the high court - led to claims that the non-partisan Missouri Plan for appointing judges was actually a highly partisan process;[2] twenty years later, Robertson would join opposition to Republican efforts to dismantle the system. In 1998 he left the Supreme Court to join a Kansas City firm which led Missouri's lawsuit against tobacco companies.[3]

Electoral politics

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As early as 2005, Robertson was rumored to be mulling a challenge to then-Governor Matt Blunt in the 2008 Republican primary, but ultimately declined.[4][5]

Kevin Strickland case

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In 2021, Robertson's assistance was enlisted to help seek the exoneration of Kevin Strickland, who had spent 43 years in prison despite substantial indications of complete innocence of murders committed in a Kansas City home invasion.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Missouri swears in new justice." Chicago Tribune. July 15, 1985.
  2. ^ Tim Poor, "Drive is galvanizing critics of Missouri's court plan." St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Oct. 9, 1992.
  3. ^ Terry Ganey, "Governor picks SLU professor to fill vacancy on high court." St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Aug. 11, 1998.
  4. ^ "Chip Robertson won't challenge Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt in primary." Kansas City Star. Aug. 11, 2007.
  5. ^ Chip Robertson in line to be Blunt's top challenger, Saint Louis Business Journal, Dave Drebes, December 11, 2005. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  6. ^ Kevin Strickland's fate in judge's hands; Baker urges him to right a 'terrible mistake', Luke Nozicka, November 11, 2021.