Chief Judge Patricia Macke Dick to retire from 27th Judicial District

TOPEKA—Chief Judge Patricia Macke Dick will retire January 13 after serving 36 years in the 27th Judicial District.
 
The 27th Judicial District is Reno County. Dick was elected in 1988 and has served as chief judge since 2007.
 
Dick said she was inspired to become a judge from her time working in juvenile court.
 
“I realized it was the most important court we had because behavioral changes are easier earlier in life,” she said. “I found it fulfilling to help people make those changes, and while not always successful, there were almost always some changes in the way they parented and participated as families, and children were made safer.”
 
Dick grew up in Plainville and graduated from Kansas State University and the University of Kansas School of Law.
 
She said the most satisfying part of being a judge is when someone who has appeared in her court speaks to her in public.
 
“I’ll be at the grocery store, and someone recognizes me and initiates a conversation about how their child is doing, or even how they are doing,” Dick said. “Knowing there was a positive impact on people is the best feeling ever.”
 
Her dedication to justice extends beyond the courtroom. She has served on many councils, committees, boards, and task forces, and been a member of several professional organizations.
 
Dick served on the Kansas Judicial Council, the Chief Judges Council, the District Court Management Personnel Advisory Committee, the Supreme Court Task Force on Permanency Planning, and the Kansas Pretrial Justice Task Force.
 
She is a past president of the Kansas District Judges Association and a member of the American Judges Association, the National Association of Women Judges, the National Conference of State Trial Judges, and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.
 
Dick has been a member of the Hutchinson Women Attorneys Association, the Kansas Women Attorneys Association, the Reno County Bar Association, the Kansas Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.
 
She and her husband, David, have been married for 46 years. They have three children and six grandchildren. Her retirement plans include seeing more of her family and friends, traveling, and volunteering.