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 "excerpt": "Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. is an American jurist serving as a senior United States district judge for the Eastern District of Missouri, appointed by President George W. Bush in 2008.",
 "snippet": "Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. is an American jurist serving as a senior United States district judge for the Eastern District of Missouri, appointed by President George W. Bush in 2008.",
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 "markdown": "# Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr.\n\nStephen Nathaniel Limbaugh, Jr. (born 1952) is an American jurist serving as a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.<sup>[1](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/stephen-limbaugh-jr)</sup> He was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2008 and assumed senior status on August 1, 2020.<sup>[1](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/stephen-limbaugh-jr)</sup> Before joining the federal bench, he served as a judge of the Supreme Court of Missouri from 1992 to 2008.<sup>[1](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/stephen-limbaugh-jr)</sup>\n\n| Fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Court | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri<sup>[1](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/stephen-limbaugh-jr)</sup> |\n| Appointed by | George W. Bush<sup>[1](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/stephen-limbaugh-jr)</sup> |\n| Confirmed | June 10, 2008, by voice vote<sup>[1](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/stephen-limbaugh-jr)</sup> |\n| Senior status | August 1, 2020<sup>[1](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/stephen-limbaugh-jr)</sup> |\n| Born | 1952, Cape Girardeau, Missouri<sup>[1](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/stephen-limbaugh-jr)</sup> |\n| Education | B.A., Southern Methodist University, 1973; J.D., Southern Methodist University School of Law (now Dedman School of Law), 1976; LL.M., University of Virginia School of Law, 1998<sup>[1](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/stephen-limbaugh-jr)</sup> |\n\n## Early life and education\n\nLimbaugh was born in 1952 in [Cape Girardeau, Missouri](https://www.edgepedia.org/cape-girardeau-missouri).<sup>[1](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/stephen-limbaugh-jr)</sup> He received a [Bachelor of Arts](https://www.edgepedia.org/bachelor-of-arts) degree from [Southern Methodist University](https://www.edgepedia.org/southern-methodist-university) in 1973 and a Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University School of Law, now the Dedman School of Law, in 1976.<sup>[1](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/stephen-limbaugh-jr)</sup> He later earned a Master of Laws from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1998.<sup>[1](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/stephen-limbaugh-jr)</sup>\n\n## Legal career\n\nLimbaugh began his career in private practice in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, from 1977 to 1978.<sup>[1](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/stephen-limbaugh-jr)</sup> In 1978 he became an assistant prosecutor for Cape Girardeau County, and from 1979 to 1982 he served as the county's prosecutor.<sup>[1](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/stephen-limbaugh-jr)</sup> He returned to private practice from 1983 to 1987.<sup>[1](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/stephen-limbaugh-jr)</sup>\n\nIn 1987, Limbaugh became a judge on the Circuit Court of Missouri for the Thirty-Second Judicial Circuit, where he served until 1992.<sup>[1](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/stephen-limbaugh-jr)</sup> He then served as a judge on the Supreme Court of Missouri from 1992 to 2008.<sup>[1](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/stephen-limbaugh-jr)</sup>\n\n## Federal judicial service\n\nPresident [George W. Bush](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-w-bush) nominated Limbaugh to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri on December 6, 2007.<sup>[1](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/stephen-limbaugh-jr)</sup> The Senate confirmed him by voice vote on June 10, 2008, and he received his commission on August 1, 2008.<sup>[1](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/stephen-limbaugh-jr)</sup> He served as an active judge until August 1, 2020, when he assumed senior status.<sup>[1](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/stephen-limbaugh-jr)</sup>\n\n## Notable cases\n\nAmong the published opinions Limbaugh authored for the district court, the most cited in one aggregation of court records is *Stipe v. Shinseki*, which has been cited three times in the CourtListener corpus.<sup>[1](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/stephen-limbaugh-jr)</sup> In one of his signed orders, Limbaugh denied a motion to reconsider filed by the defendant Rolla Cycles, Inc. d/b/a Stahlman Powersports, writing in the order: \"IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that defendant Rolla Cycles, Inc. d/b/a Stahlman Powersports' Motion to Reconsider [Doc. 44] is DENIED.\"<sup>[2](https://ezel.ai/judges/moed/stephen-n-limbaugh-jr)</sup>\n\nAccording to one compilation of appellate outcomes for cases Limbaugh was last assigned, 244 of 274 decisions reviewed on the merits by the [United States courts of appeals](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-courts-of-appeals) were affirmed, 17 were reversed or vacated, and 13 were affirmed in part and reversed in part; the compilation notes that this is a historical count of matched cases, not a judgment on the judge.<sup>[1](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/stephen-limbaugh-jr)</sup>\n\n## References\n\n1. [Stephen Nathaniel Limbaugh Jr.: Judge, Eastern District of Missouri](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/stephen-limbaugh-jr)\n2. [Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. — Rulings & How They Decide](https://ezel.ai/judges/moed/stephen-n-limbaugh-jr)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Law and justice › Courts and legal practice › Legal biographies › United States judges › US federal judges › Article III judges (district and appellate) › United States district court judges › Surnames L to Ma*\n\n*Initially written Sep 27, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 29, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Sep 29, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n",
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 "speakable": "Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. is an American jurist serving as a senior United States district judge for the Eastern District of Missouri, appointed by President George W. Bush in 2008."
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