Limbaugh's confirmation hearing to begin today

WASHINGTON -- Two Missouri judges hoping to win confirmation to the federal bench face lawmakers this week at a congressional hearing.

Missouri Supreme Court Judge Stephen Limbaugh Jr. of Cape Girardeau and Circuit Court Judge Gregory David Kays will appear today before the Senate Judiciary Committee to answer questions about their records.

Both nominees are supported by Missouri's U.S. senators, Republican Kit Bond and Democrat Claire McCaskill.

Limbaugh, a former Cape Girardeau County prosecutor and circuit court judge, was named to replace U.S. District Court Judge Donald J. Stohr of the U.S. Eastern District Court of Missouri. Stohr became a senior judge last December.

The Eastern District covers 48 counties in northern, eastern and southeastern Missouri, plus the city of St. Louis. It has divisions based in Cape Girardeau, Hannibal and St. Louis.

Limbaugh's father, Stephen Limbaugh Sr., has been a federal judge in the Eastern Missouri District since 1983 and became a senior judge in 1996.

Neither Limbaugh nor Kays is expected to face opposition. But the pace of judicial confirmations often slows in an election year.

About 50 judges for federal courts are awaiting confirmation by the Senate.

Kays would fill a seat on the federal court in Kansas City.