LIMBAUGH WOULD MAKE FINE ADDITION TO COURT

For the second time this year, a widely known Cape Girardeau legal figure stands a good chance of being named to Missouri's highest court. Earlier this year, well respected Cape Girardeau attorney John L. Oliver Jr. was one of three finalists for a spot on the Missouri Supreme Court. Oliver was not selected, as the coveted appointment went to Kansas City attorney William Ray Price Jr.

Now Cape Girardeau Circuit Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. is one of three finalists whose names are currently before Gov. John Ashcroft for appointment to a vacancy on the Missouri Supreme Court. We are well-acquainted with Judge Limbaugh and believe he can make the kind of contribution to our high court that Missouri sorely needs.

Oliver, who Gov. Ashcroft appointed to the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission, is a well-known legal scholar with a statewide reputation. He would have been a superb choice had the governor tapped him to serve. We remain convinced that Oliver's future chances for significant public service in some such position, either in the state or federal court system, are good.

As is the case with Oliver, Steve Limbaugh Jr. is a member of distinguished family in Missouri legal circles. In fact, some of the parallels are remarkable. Generations of both families practiced law for many decades in Cape Girardeau, where their civic contributions are far reaching. Moreover, in both Oliver's and Limbaugh's cases, their fathers and grandfathers constitute the only two instances where both father and son have served in the prestigious post of president of the Missouri Bar Association.

Despite his relative youth (he is 40) Judge Limbaugh is qualified for the court. Just a year out of the law school at Southern Methodist University, he was elected Cape County Prosecuting Attorney at age 26. (His father, U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, had also served in that job for one term while a young attorney.)

After serving one term, Limbaugh Jr. declined to run for another, opting to enter private practice with his family's firm. Then, at age 35, Gov. Ashcroft appointed him to fill a vacancy on the 32nd Judicial Circuit, where he has served since 1987.

Even at his young age, Limbaugh handled his duties as prosecutor well, demonstrating a sound judgment not always shown by all prosecutors. Since becoming a circuit judge, Limbaugh has established himself as a respected member of the state's judiciary.

We note that with the death of Kennett's Bill Billings and the retirement of Hannibal's Albert Rendelen, no member of the high court calls eastern Missouri home. While geography should not control such a decision, neither is it wholly irrelevant. Other things being equal, considerations of geography are entitled to some consideration.

Cape Girardeau has contributed two previous outstanding members of the Missouri Supreme Court. The late Judge S.P. Dalton served from 1950-1964, and the late Judge James A. Finch Jr. served from 1964-1978. Both served with distinction.

It is a tribute to the Cape County Bar that two local attorneys have made it through a rigorous selection process this year to be recommended by the Appellate Judicial Commission as finalists for the Supreme Court. Steve Limbaugh's appointment, like Oliver's some day, would continue a fine tradition. We commend him to Gov. Ashcroft for favorable consideration.