Stephen Nathaniel Limbaugh Jr. (born January 25, 1952) is a Senior United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri (in case citations, E.D. Mo.) is a trial level federal district court based in St. Louis, Missouri, with jurisdiction over fifty counties in the eastern half of Missouri. Th ...

. From 1992 to 2008, he served as a Judge on the

Supreme Court of Missouri The Supreme Court of Missouri is the highest court in the state of Missouri. It was established in 1820 and is located at 207 West High Street in Jefferson City, Missouri. Missouri voters have approved changes in the state's constitution to give ...

Education

Limbaugh was born in Cape Girardeau,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, and is the son of retired federal district judge

Stephen N. Limbaugh Sr. Stephen Nathaniel Limbaugh Sr. (born November 17, 1927) is a former United States District Judge who held concurrent appointments to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri and the United States District Court for the ...

, grandson of attorney

Rush Limbaugh Sr. Rush Hudson Limbaugh I (September 27, 1891 – April 8, 1996) was an American legislator, and ambassador. His legal career spanned nearly 80 years, and he argued cases before the Missouri Supreme Court, Internal Revenue Service Appellate ...

, and a cousin of prominent political commentators

Rush Rush(es) may refer to: Places United States * Rush, Colorado * Rush, Kentucky * Rush, New York * Rush City, Minnesota * Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois * Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream * Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...

and

David Limbaugh David Scott Limbaugh (born December 11, 1952) is a conservative American political commentator and author who has also worked as a professor and as a lawyer. He is the younger brother of talk radio host Rush Limbaugh. Life and career Limbaugh w ...

. He earned his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in 1973 from

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , prov ...

. He received a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the

Dedman School of Law SMU Dedman School of Law, commonly referred to as SMU Law School or Dedman School of Law is a law school located in Dallas, Texas. It was founded in February 1925. SMU Law School is located on the campus of its parent institution, Southern Meth ...

at Southern Methodist University in 1976. In 1998, he received a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

judicial process Legal process (sometimes simply process) is any formal notice or writ by a court obtaining jurisdiction over a person or property. Common forms of process include a summons, subpoena, mandate, and warrant. Process normally takes effect by ...

from the

University of Virginia School of Law The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law or UVA Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as part of his "academical v ...

.Official Manual - State of Missouri 2003-2004

Career

Following a stint in private practice in Cape Girardeau, he was elected as Prosecuting Attorney of

Cape Girardeau County Cape Girardeau County is located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Missouri; its eastern border is formed by the Mississippi River. At the 2020 census, the population was 81,710. The county seat is Jackson, the first city in the US ...

at the age of 26 in 1978, serving one four-year term before returning to private practice in 1982. Beginning in 1987, he served as a Judge for the 32nd state Judicial Circuit, serving until his appointment to the

in 1992. From 2001 to 2003, he served one term as the state's chief justice.

Federal judicial service

On December 6, 2007, President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

nominated Judge Limbaugh to the

to fill the seat vacated by

Donald J. Stohr Donald Julius Stohr (March 9, 1934 – December 10, 2015) was a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. Education and career Born in Sedalia, Missouri, S ...

. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on June 10, 2008, received his commission on August 1, 2008, and was succeeded on the Missouri Supreme Court by Judge

Zel Fischer Zel M. Fischer (born April 28, 1963) is an Associate Judge of the Supreme Court of Missouri. Judge Fischer served a two-year term as chief justice from 2017 until 2019. A native of Watson, he received his undergraduate degree from William Jewell ...

. He assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...

on August 1, 2020.

Personal

He currently lives in Cape Girardeau with his wife, the former Marsha D. Moore. They have two grown sons, one of them being musician Stephen Limbaugh III.

References

External links

*
Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr.
at the Missouri Supreme Court website {{DEFAULTSORT:Limbaugh, Stephen Nathaniel Jr. 1952 births American people of German descent American prosecutors Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of Missouri Judges of the Supreme Court of Missouri Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri Living people People from Cape Girardeau, Missouri Southern Methodist University alumni Dedman School of Law alumni United States district court judges appointed by George W. Bush University of Virginia School of Law alumni 21st-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers Limbaugh family