Benton expected to be nominated to appeals court

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri Supreme Court Judge Duane Benton is expected to be nominated by President Bush for a seat on a federal appeals court, a Supreme Court spokeswoman said Thursday.

Benton, 53, was hearing court arguments Thursday morning, but court spokeswoman Beth Riggert confirmed his expected selection for a spot on the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Benton, who was appointed to the state Supreme Court in 1991 by then-Gov. John Ashcroft, is the longest-serving current member of the state's highest court and is known as a lively questioner and quick thinker.

He served as director of the state Department of Revenue from 1989 to 1991, worked in private law practice in Jefferson City, was chief of staff to Republican U.S. Rep. Wendell Bailey from 1980 to 1982, and served as a judge advocate in the U.S. Navy from 1975 to 1979. Benton, a Vietnam veteran, retired from the Naval Reserve as a captain after 30 years of active and reserve duty.

From July 1997 through June 1999, Benton served as chief justice of the Supreme Court, a position that rotates among court's seven judges, typically based on seniority.

His official state biography says Benton is the only certified public accountant serving on any supreme court in the country.