Courthouse ceremony highlights education and history center

Fourteen people will become new U.S. citizens Friday during a ceremony dedicating a new history and educational display at the Rush H. Limbaugh Sr. U.S. Courthouse.

The immigrants, from seven countries, will be the first to take the citizenship oath in Cape Girardeau since July 2008, said Jim Woodward, court clerk for the Eastern District of Missouri.

The event is tied to the annual Law Day celebrations around May 1 each year. It is designed to showcase the work of federal courts and to make the public aware of the Judicial Education and History Center in the courthouse, Woodward said.

"We want to remind people that we have a system of courts and justice in this country that is truly the envy of the world," Woodward said.

The event begins at 10:30 a.m. Friday in the atrium of the courthouse, 555 Independence St. Scheduled speakers include U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson and Dr. Ken Dobbins, president of Southeast Missouri State University.

The Judicial Education and History Center will have three themes -- recognizing the history of the federal courts in Southeast Missouri, explain the functions of federal courts and how they differ from state courts and to tell the story of Rush H. Limbaugh Sr., the lawyer who was honored by having his name on the building.

There has been a Southeast Missouri division of the Eastern District of Missouri for about 100 years, Woodward said. The displays will highlight cases and jurisdiction as it explains the court system, he said.

Rush H. Limbaugh Sr., was the father and grandfather of two federal judges, including Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr., the first federal judge assigned permanently to work in Cape Girardeau. He died 1996 at age 104 but had continued to practice law until past the age of 100.

The purpose of the education and history center is to attract people to the courthouse to see the courts in action and learn about the region, Woodward said.

The naturalization ceremony fits with the message of the day: that the courts are here for the people, Woodward said. "In our view, it was the perfect opportunity to combine the dedication, law day and naturalization in a single ceremony."

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

555 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, MO