The Honorable Judy Preddy Draper
Associate Circuit Judge, Division 41

Judge Draper was appointed Associate Circuit Judge on April 13, 2004 by Governor Bob Holden.

Judge Draper attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, receiving a bachelor degree in Labor Relations in 1977. She received her Juris Doctorate degree from Howard University Law School in 1980 with Law Journal honors.

Judge Draper clerked for the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Administrative Judges in Washington, D.C. after graduating from law school. She was a former prosecutor for the City of St. Louis; and Adjunct Professor of pre-trial practice at Washington University School of Law. She was a law clerk to Honorable Clyde S. Cahill, Federal District Court Judge. She was the first female General Counsel for the Missouri Department of Corrections. Judge Draper was in private practice in Clayton, handling criminal and civil cases. She also served as a Municipal Judge for the cities of Northwoods and Berkeley.

Judge Draper was appointed by the Missouri Supreme Court to sit on the Education Committee for the Missouri Municipal and Associate Circuit Judges Association. She was recently appointed by the Missouri Supreme Court to serve as a member of the Regional Disciplinary Committee for St. Louis County. Judge Draper also sits on the Congressional Committee for Americans with Disabilities.

Judge Draper is a founding member of the Missouri Asian American Bar Association ("MABA") and served as president from 1999 through 2003. She also chaired the annual "Unity Dinner" for St. Louis Lawyers for three years. Judge Draper is a member of the Mound City Bar Association, the Woman Lawyer's Association, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, the St. Louis County Bar Association, National Association of Women Judges and the Kansas City Bar Association.

Judge Draper is married to Judge, George W. Draper III, who is the current Chief Judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District. They have one daughter and reside in St. Louis County.